Seattle's Grace
by VillageVoice
Summary: Callica. Set after the 4th season finale. Callie kisses Erica, but then what? Callie Pregnancy. CH. 50 UP! - GOOD THINGS COME...
1. All or Nothing

**Grey's Anatomy  
'Seattle's Grace'  
**  
**Disclaimer:** Grey's Anatomy and all characters associated with it belong to Shonda Rhimes and ABC. As much as I wish they were mine, they never will be. All other characters and places are mine. If there is a real person or place that I have named in my story, it is purely coincidental.

**Summary:** Callica. Set after the 4th season finale. Callie kisses Erica, but then what? FemSlash

**Reviews welcome, but please be nice.**

* * *

Callie and Mark walked out of the hospital. "So, you wanna finish what we started yesterday?" She asked.

Mark notices Erica a few yards away looking for something in her bag. "Or you can finish what you started."

Callie looks at him strangely, not sure what game he's playing. Then she looks over and sees Erica. She looks the woman over quickly before turning her attention back to Mark.

"I'm growing." Callie cocks an eyebrow. "Go, get outa here."

Callie took a deep breath and walked toward Erica, unconsciously licking her lips in the process. She finally reached the other woman and hoped to God she felt the same way. "Hey, I wanted to see if you wanted to grab a drink."

"I can't find my keys." Erica replied, never looking up from her bag.

"Maybe we could um…" She tucks a stray hair behind her ear and shifts uncomfortably. It was time to lay it all out on the table. "I had something I wanted to talk to you ab-"

"I had the damn keys this morning." Erica interrupts, oblivious to what Callie is trying to tell her. "I put them in this bag, but I can't remember. This whole thing with Yang has got me so messed up-"

This time Callie interrupts her. "Erica."

Erica stoped looking through her bag and turned to Callie. "What?"

"I'm saying something here." Erica gave her her undivided attention. For a second Callie thought maybe she shouldn't be doing this. She could swear she felt something coming from Erica, but there was still a chance that the blonde didn't feel the same way. She took a deep breath and threw herself into the deep end. "I just wanted to say . . ." She looked deep into Erica's eyes. They were beautiful, mesmerizing. After a few seconds, she couldn't help her eyes from darting to Erica's lips. The lips she hadn't stopped thinking about since Erica had kissed her in the elevator. "I just wanted to say…" She stepped forward, grabbing Erica's face and kissing her.

It took Erica a second to react then she put her hands on either side of Callie's face. They broke apart quickly and stared into each other's eyes. Callie smiled, and brought their lips together again.

After a few seconds, Erica broke the kiss and pulled away. "I . . . I need to ask you something."

Callie looked into her eyes and almost made Erica forget what she was going to say and lean back in. Almost.

She took a deep breath. "You and Sloan?-"

"Wha..? No. Erica . . . Me and you." She paused for emphasis. "Erica, me and Mark were never anything special. We knew from the start we wouldn't be good together. We had sex, that was it. There was never anything there, never anything real. Not like what I feel for you."

Erica looked away. "I'm ah…I'm not the one-hit type. I don't do one-night stands and I don't do sex buddies. If I'm gonna be with someone I have to know that they're in it as much as I am." She took a deep breath and looked up at Callie. "It's all or nothing."

Callie took Erica's hand in her own and placed it over her heart. "You feel that? Every time we touch, it speeds up. Every time I hear your voice, it speeds up. Every time I see you down the hall or across a room, it speeds up." With her free hand she lifted Erica's chin so that dark ebony met light blue. "Erica, my heart hasn't done this for a long time. No one has ever made my heart beat so fast I had to catch my breath just by seeing your name on my caller-ID. Do you know how unbearable it is to be in surgery for hours with you standing right next to me?"

Erica smiled, and Callie couldn't help but let the smile grow on her own face as well. "I can't promise that it will be smooth sailing all the way, but I want to try." She wiped a tear from Erica's cheek. "This" She pressed Erica's hand deeper against her chest. Erica could feel her heart pounding. "…this beats for you now. It's yours if you want it."

"It's not going to be easy."

Callie took a step closer and wrapped her arms around the blonde's waist. "I don't expect it to be easy. But when the person you're with is worth it . . ." She brought a hand up and cupped Erica's face. "I don't want it to be easy. I just want you."

Erica pressed their bodies closer together. "I want you too." Then she grabbed Callie's face and pulled her in for the most earth-shattering kiss either woman had ever experienced.

Once they broke apart, Callie leaned her forehead on Erica's and smiled devilishly. "So . . . about those keys?"


	2. Right in Front of You

A little Memorial Day present for all of you!  
But still, if you want more chapters, you've gotta review

Village Voice

* * *

The sunlight streamed through the window and landed on Erica's face. Slowly she woke-up and opened her eyes. She smiled when she saw Callie sleeping soundly within her arms. She planted a gentle kiss on the other woman's neck and leaned over to see the alarm clock on the bedside table.

She planted another kiss and gently shook Callie awake. "Hey, do you have to be at work today?"

Callie sleepily shook her head.

Erica smiled. "You knew I had today off."

Callie turned so she was facing Erica, still in her arms. "Kinda."

Erica leaned in and placed a soft kiss on Callie's lips, which was eagerly reciprocated. "I'm gonna go make some coffee. You want some?"

Callie wined when Erica broke the kiss. "You, Erica Hahn, are a tease."

Erica got up and whispered in Callie's ear, "So I've been told." She went around the other side of the bed and took the shorts she had on off, looking for her lounge pants. She looked up and saw Callie watching her intently in just her underwear and a tank-top. "Enjoying the view?"

Callie nodded. "Much."

Erica laughed and grabbed her pants from a nearby chair. As she was pulling them on, Callie noticed something. "Erica Hahn, you have a tattoo."

Erica pulled the pants up as fast as she could. "No I don't."

"Yes you do, I saw it." It was on her lower abdomen, just peeking out from behind her underwear line. Callie started getting out of the bed, but Erica ran into the bathroom and locked the door. "No I don't."

Callie leaned back down and smiled to herself. Never in a million years would she ever have imagined that she would be waking up with Erica Hahn. She had thought about it and fanaticized about it, but she never thought it would ever actually happen. She reached over the edge of the bed and pulled her cell phone out of her purse, quickly finding the familiar number. She laid back down and a before she could even comprehend what was going on, something jumped onto her chest. _"Erica."_ She called. "What's this?"

"Big fluffy black and white thing?"

Callie looked straight into the animal's eyes, not moving. "Yeah."

"That's Domino. She won't hurt you."

Callie carefully removed the cat from her chest and put the cell phone back to her ear.

"_Hello?"_

"Addison." Callie lowered her voice, hearing Erica moving from the bathroom to the kitchen.

"_Callie?"_

"Yeah."

"_Do you have any idea what time it is?"_

She looked at the clock. "It's early, I know, but this couldn't wait. . . I kissed her."

"_You what? Who?" _

Callie waited a minute for her to figure it out.

"_Erica Hahn? You kissed Erica Hahn? Erica, the 'we're just friends' Erica? What happened to being a big fan of penis?"_

"Addison." Callie warned, leaning off the bed and listening to see what Erica was doing.

"…_You're with her now, aren't you?"_

"We slept together."

"_You had sex with her?"_

"No. We didn't have sex, we just…slept together. We had this massive trauma two days ago with this kid stuck literally in tons of concrete, so we spent hours getting him out and then hours more in surgery. By the time we got out late last night we were too exhausted to do anything but sleep." She heard nothing coming from the line. "Addison? . . Addison!"

"_I'm sorry, just…wow. I knew I felt something between you two, but I didn't think you'd actually do anything about it. What happened?"_

"I don't know. I just . . . something changed."

"_I'll say. You totally freaked out when I called you on it last week."_

"I know, I know."

"_What happened?"_

Callie sighed. "The kid, the one that was stuck in cement, he did it for a girl. And this girl, she liked him but she didn't want anyone to know, not even the kid. She was too worried about what her friends would think. She asked me, "What did I know?" And I realized I couldn't do it anymore. I couldn't keep lying. Not to myself and not to Erica." She sighed. "This kid was dying and she couldn't even tell him, and Erica was right there in front of me."

"_Wow. You've grown Callie. You really have. What happened to the kid?"_

"Oh, he was fine. She eventually told him."

"_Ah. What about you and Erica?"_

"I . . . I don't know. I tried telling her last night, but I just ended up kissing her."

"_Was it good?"_ She could hear Addison smiling over the phone.

Callie blushed. "It was amazing. She was amazing."

"…_You're falling for her Callie."_

Callie buried her face in a pillow. "I know. . ." She came up quickly. "I've never felt this way before Addy. I get tingles just by going into work every morning because I know she'll be there. My heart skips a beat whenever I see her name pop-up on my phone."

Addison laughed. _"You've got it bad."_

"I know."

"_When did this start? If you're already this far gone, I doubt anything I said could have changed anything."_

"No, it started before you came. I just kept ignoring it, thinking we were just becoming really…really good friends. I tried staying away from her to see if it might go away, but the longer I stayed away from her, the more I wanted to be with her. And then Mark-"

"_Eh."_

"I know you don't like him, you and Erica can start a club, but I was taking a break from surgery watching Erica through the window and he came into the room. I was all hot and bothered and he said that it wasn't his dirty talk that had me turned on, but what he was dirty talking about."

"_Erica."_

"Yeah. . . " Callie smiled. "Then he told me that it was okay. That he wished he was all someone thought about. That's when it really hit me. I thought about her all the time. I would stay at the hospital hours after my shift ended just so I could watch her in surgery and maybe talk to her for a few minutes afterwards. The thoughts I was having for Erica were way more than friendship. And it was okay. I wasn't doing anything wrong, I just…I fell for her."

"_You're not scared?"_

"Of course I am. I've never been with a woman in my life. Then there's what everyone will think and what they're gonna say, but . . . it doesn't matter. I like her Addison. I have never felt this way before. She means more to me than all those people and everything they are going to say combined."

"_Don't listen to them Callie. You two are good for each other."_

"You think so?"

"_I really do. Callie, your face lights up at the mere mention of her name. You didn't think twice about defending her to Christina."_

Callie smiled. "Yeah. She really is great Addison."

"_I know."_

She heard Erica making her way down the hall. "Shit, I gotta go."

"_Call me when you two figure out if you're an item or not so I can post it online."_

"You wouldn't."

"_I will if you don't call me immediately."_

"Alright I will, bye." She closed her phone and had it back in her purse just as Erica walked back into the room.

Erica entered the room with two steaming mugs of coffee. "What are you doing?"

Callie looked deep into her blue eyes and hatched a plan. "There's a problem with your bed." She took the mug Erica held out to her.

"What?"

"Yeah." She scooted over and took Erica's mug, setting it down beside her own. "Lay here."

Erica did as she was told and in an instant, Callie swung her leg over the blonde's torso so that she was now straddling her. "Problem with the bed huh?"

"Yeah." Callie smirked as she inched her face closer to Callie's. "You weren't in it."

"Better now?" Erica smiled. It wasn't her usual smile, but a smile Callie knew was just for her.

Callie looked down at the beauty beneath her. She was so beautiful. "Yeah." She brought a hand to Erica's face and softly caressed the side of her face and traced the outline of her mouth. She looked up, deep into Erica's eyes. Those beautiful blue eyes she loved so much. In this moment, nothing else mattered.

Erica reached up and snaked her hand behind Callie's head, bringing their faces closer together. She cupped Callie's cheek and ran her thumb across the smooth skin just as she had in the elevator.

Callie leaned down and kissed Erica, tenderly at first but with both women pouring everything they felt for one another into the kiss, it quickly heated up. But Callie pulled away before it went too far.

"Who's the tease now?" Erica smirked.

"We need to talk."

Erica nodded and Callie swung her leg back over Erica's body and allowed the blonde to sit up before sitting right in front of her. She reached over and took Erica's hands, needing to feel the connection before she went on. "I uh…"

"Let me start" Erica interrupted. "You took the first step, so now it's my turn." She looked down at her lap. "I don't make friends easily, and I make significant others even less. I tell people what they don't want to hear, I'm fiercely independent, and I don't like people getting too close." She looked down at their joined hands. "But for some reason none of that mattered with you. You were the first real friend I'd had in a long time and I didn't want to screw that up." She looked up at Callie. "I didn't want to lose you. . . But then I started to realize, the more time you spent with Sloan, the more jealous I got." She took a deep breath. "I would get this feeling whenever you were around me, or whenever I heard your voice. It…it was more than friendship.

"I like you Callie. I have for a long time, but I was determined not to let that get in the way of our friendship. If the only way I could be with you was by being friends, then that was how it was going to be. I would have rather you not known then have you know and never speak to me again."

Callie used a hand to lift Erica's chin and look her in the eyes. "Why would I have done that?"

Erica scoffed. "You did it Callie. When Addison told you she thought we were a couple you disappeared."

Callie hung her head. "I know and I can't tell you how sorry I am for that. I had feelings for you and Addison called me on it. I wasn't ready for anyone to know yet. I hadn't even admitted it to myself." She looked back up. "I was convinced that we were just friends, best friends at that. That that was what I was feeling." She smiled. "But then my heart would speed up whenever you brushed my arm, and I'd get dizzy just by hearing your voice down the hall. It was new and it was powerful and I was scared. So I ran. Instead of coming and talking to you about it, I ran. I avoided you at all cost and at the end of the day I would go home and cry because you were the one person in the world I wanted to see the most . . . but I stayed away."

Erica reached over and wiped the tears from Callie's eyes. Callie leaned into the touch. "It was new and you were scared. There's nothing wrong with that Callie."

"Yes there is. I stayed away and I hurt you."

Erica rubbed her thumb across Callie's cheek. "But you're here now."

"Everything changed Erica. With that kid. He did it all for a girl. He sat in concrete, actual hardening-by-the-minute concrete for a girl. And she liked him, but she wasn't going to tell him even after everything he did for her. He was lying there dying and she couldn't even tell him, but you were right there. . . You were right there in front of me."

Erica leaned in and kissed Callie, soft at first, but then she poured all the love and feelings she had for Callie into the kiss, without getting carried away. She slowly pulled away. "I'm still right here in front of you."


	3. Figuring it All Out

Because you guys have been so good to me, here's the next chapter.

R & R  
VIllage Voice

* * *

They had spent most of the day together, also mostly in Erica's bed. Nothing too serious. This was new and exciting. They were taking time to figure out what the other liked, what made them moan and what made them squirm. They parted after they had dinner at a nearby restaurant around 11. Both had early surgeries the next morning so they needed to get a good night's sleep.

The minute Callie stepped into the apartment she shared with Christina, she flopped down on the couch and called Addison back.

"_Do you love her?"_

"What? It's way too early for that?"

"_Callie Torres answer my question. It's better to be honest, right?"_

Callie sat straight up from her couch. "Oh my God. I do. Addison, I really do. Oh my God."

"_Callie…Callie, just breathe, okay?"_

"What am I going to do?"

"_You're going to tell her."_

"What?" She lowered her voice. Christina did not need to hear this. "Are you crazy? We just talked about how we feel, I can't throw this at her too. I finally admitted it to myself. I finally took the first step, and I am not going to let it end this quickly." She took a calming breath. "Addison…I've never felt this way before."

* * *

The next morning Callie and Erica had met for coffee, as they usually did, and walked into work together. They were giddy with excitement. They had decided to keep their budding relationship to themselves for the time being, but that didn't mean they couldn't flirt and stir up the rumor mill.

Not even two steps off the elevator, Erica was immediately pulled over to the surgical board by Dr. Webber and Callie in the opposite direction by Mark. Erica tried to pay as much attention to the Chief as she could, but she couldn't help from sneaking glimpses Callie's way down the hall. Neither, it seemed, could Callie. They kept catching the other's eyes and smiling, chuckling to themselves. Finally the two men had had enough.

"Will you pay attention?" "What the hell is so funny?" Boomed through the halls from the bellowing voice of Dr. Webber and the pissed off voice of Mark. Mark was pissed that Callie wasn't giving him her undivided attention. Callie blatantly laughed at him and looked back toward Erica. She returned a small smile, but let Callie know she really had to talk to the Chief.

Callie turned her attention back toward Mark and cocked her head. "You were saying?"

Mark was turned on. Something about Callie not wanting him made him want her even more. "On-call room, now." He grabbed her elbow and headed toward the nearest on-call room.

But Callie stood her ground. "No."

Mark turned back to her stunned. "What do you mean 'no'?"

Callie looked from his hand on her elbow back to him. "Could you lose the grip?"

"What do you mean no?" He asked again, not loosening his grip.

"I mean no. I'm not going to have sex with you."

"Why not?" He asked a little too loud and Erica looked right over at the pair, reading Callie's 'help' expression loud and clear, but the Chief wouldn't let her go.

"Now, Mrs. Wilson's aortic valve replacement surgery-"

"I really need to start my rounds now-"

"I was thinking of moving her up so we can get her and Mr. Anderthaw both in before the day is over." He kept right on going.

Seeing that she was not going to be able to get out of this without a real reason, Erica looked down the hall at Callie until the other woman looked back. She discretely pointed to her pager and Callie gave her a small nod.

Mark had his back to her, leaning up against the wall. Without him noticing, Callie quickly took out her cell phone and hit the number for Erica's pager.

The noise of Erica's pager broke Dr. Webber's train of speech. "I'm sorry Richard, I have to go."

"We'll finish this later." He called to her fleeting back. She waved a hand over her head signaling she heard him. She walked right past Callie and Mark, sharing a knowing smile and a wink with the darker woman. She rounded the corner and took out her own cell phone and dialed Callie's pager.

"Is this about last night?" Mark asked.

Callie rolled her eyes. "Why can you not accept the fact that I just don't want to sleep with you?"

"Since when?"

"What we had was fun, but that was all it was. And now it's over."

"It's what?"

Callie felt the vibrations of her pager and brought it up to "check" the number. She knew it would be Erica, but Mark didn't. "I have to go."

Before he could say anything or grab her again she was halfway down the hall. She turned the corner and ran right into Erica's arms, literally. "Oh my God I thought that would never end." She sighed.

Erica looked around and seeing that they were alone, brought Callie in for a quick kiss. "That make it any better?"

Callie looked around and laced her fingers behind Erica's neck. "Maybe?" She smiled.

Erica grabbed Callie's face in her hands and leaned down, giving her a kiss that would leave them both breathless for a while to come.

Callie pulled away. "You can make me forget anything, you know that?"

With a smile and a quick kiss, the two parted ways to begin their rounds, promising to meet up for lunch.

But Erica hadn't been able to make it to lunch. Webber had in fact moved up Mrs. Wilson's valve replacement surgery, so it looked like Erica was working through lunch. Unfortunately for Callie, Mark wasn't. He sat down at "their" table - the one Callie shared with Erica whenever they ate at the café together, and the one where he certainly was not welcome. "Do I have a sign on my forehead that says 'Please, come bug me'?"

Mark looked down at his hands.

"Because if I do, please tell me."

"Why don't you want to have sex with me?"

Callie sighed. "Mark."

"No seriously, I need to know."

Just as she was about to rattle off some bullshit excuse, her phone went off. It was a text message…from Erica. She tried to conceal the smile from Mark, but she couldn't help it.

'_Just got out of surgery. Sorry I'm missing lunch, but I'm due in another surgery in twenty. E'_

Callie smiled and ran her fingers over the words on the tiny screen. "I have to go."

"Bullshit."

Callie momentarily paused gathering her things and looked over at Mark. "Um…okay. But I still have to go."

"Who was that text from?"

"None of your God damn business is who."

The phone was on the table. Before she could even bend down to reach for it, Mark had it open and was reading her latest text. "E?" He questioned. "Who the hell is E?"

Callie snatched the phone from his grasp and shoved it back in her pocket. "Like I said, none of your business." She couldn't help but walk away with a smile on her face.

She found Erica in the doctor's lounge making some notes to a patient's file. Most likely the one she had just operated on. Describing his treatment, nurses' orders and stuff like that. Callie slid into the room undetected, quietly closing the door and locking it.

Erica looked up as she heard the mechanisms of the lock snapping into place. She let go of her pen and leaned back against the couch.

Callie smiled that devilish smile Erica had grown to love so much. "So" She began, her hand still on the lock. "I get stood up for lunch" She made her way over to Erica and uncrossed the blonde doctor's legs. "And I find you sitting in here . . ." She slowly lowered herself down onto Erica's lap. "Alone." She wrapped her arms around Erica's neck. "And having nothing to occupy your time."

Erica hands found their way to Callie's thighs and slowly worked their way up to her waist. "Nothing to occupy my time?"

Callie shook her head.

"So I guess there are no papers or anything in front of me?"

Callie looked around in front of her. "I don't see any." She smirked.

Erica stared into her eyes. Those beautiful rich brown eyes. They reminded her of espresso, which she also loved. She reached a hand up and caresses Callie's cheek. "You're beautiful."

And that was all it took for Callie to go to reasonably turned on to boiling over. She leaned in and kissed Erica, hard. Conveying everything she wanted to do to Erica. Everything her body was craving.

"You know." Erica began as she trailed light kisses from Callie's mouth… "Anyone" …down her jaw… "Could walk by" …to her neck… "And see us" …to her collarbone… "At any minute." …and back up to her luscious lips.

Callie smiled against her mouth. "Good. I hope they do." She moved her neck, giving Erica better access before capturing the blonde's lips once again. "Then they will know that you are off limits." They kissed again… "That you" …and again… "Erica Hahn, world known heart surgeon" …and again… "Are taken." They kissed again, this time longer. With tongues dancing, hands roaming, neither wanted to let this moment go…but they had to. Erica was being paged to OR 3 over the loudspeaker.

"Somehow, I think they would be more broken up knowing _you_ were off the market." Erica said, tucking a stray hair back behind Callie's ear and kissing her once more.

Callie licked her lips. "You know what? I don't care. I don't care what they say, I don't care what they think and I couldn't care less about what they feel. You are the only one who matters. What you say, what you think and what you feel." She raised her eyebrows.

"What did I do to get so lucky?"

Callie sat back. "I don't know." She turned back to Erica seductively. "Maybe-"

'Dr. _Erica Hahn to OR 3. Dr. Hahn, OR 3'_

There was a disappointed look that flashed over the faces of both women. "I'm sorry sweetie, I have to go, but…" She gave Callie one last kiss. "This will definitely be continued later."

Callie got off of Erica's lap. "Definitely."

Erica got up and walked over to the door unlocking it. She turned back to Callie and gave her one of her 'Callie-only' smiles and Callie felt herself getting warm all over. Erica left the room and Callie smiled to herself. About three and a half seconds later, Erica came charging back into the room and straddled Callie, planting a passionate kiss on her lips. "Keep those warm for me."

* * *

"Callie." Callie nearly jumped out of her skin. She hated when people snuck up on her…and he knew that. "Dammit Mark."

"I was thinking about this 'E' guy."

Callie had to suppress a snicker.

"I checked the surgical board."

"You've got issues."

"There were four doctors who's either first or last name begin with an 'E.'"

"What makes you so certain said doctor works here? Or maybe it's an intern. Or maybe an anesthesiologist. There's a whole room full of people during a surgery Mark. Or has it been so long since you've actually been in an OR that you forgot?"

Mark growled and walked away. He wasn't going to give up anytime soon and Callie was more than amused to watch him try to figure it all out.


	4. Behind A Locked Door

You really are too good to me

Village Voice

* * *

Erica had been in surgery for what felt like an eternity, even though Callie knew it had only been a few hours. She sat there in the viewing gallery watching Erica intently. Every move of her hand was not unnoticed, every flick of her head to get the hair out of her face had Callie going to a place she should not have been going to sitting there in the gallery. She was a very sexual person by nature, but her sex drive always seemed to be in overdrive with Erica. Whenever she saw Erica, whenever she heard Erica or whenever she thought of Erica.

She came back down from her Erica haze just in time to see the skilled surgeon putting in the final sutures and heading into the scrub room. Callie ran down and waited in the doctor's lounge. Soon enough Erica wandered in, a big smile on her face. "So, what have you been up to?"

"Oh, you know. The usual."

"I saw you up there."

Callie looked up. "Did I mention you look amazing slicing open a big, macho guy's chest?"

Erica closed the door and went to shut the blinds, but Callie stopped her. "Leave them open."

"Someone might see us."

Callie got up and went over to Erica. "I hope they do."

* * *

The next morning the pair walked into work together, just as they had all those times before and this time was no different. Erica was immediately pulled over to the surgical board and Callie was immediately pulled in the opposite direction. Story of their lives. They were scheduled for surgery together at 10, so until them they locked their selves in an on-call room and pretended to be looking over the patient's charts.

Erica had Callie pinned underneath her, her thigh between Callie's legs applying subtle pressure where she knew Callie needed it the most. They hadn't even had sex yet, but what they did do had been amazing. They loved their time together. It was sweet and attentive and loving and nothing like either had ever experienced. There connection was deeper than sex or emotions. They were soul mates . . . and they weren't going to ruin it before jumping into sex too soon.

"So," Erica continued. "I have-"

Neither moved. The noise they heard had definitely not come from either of them.

"What was that?" Callie asked.

Then they heard it again. "Shit." Erica exclaimed as she nearly jumped off of Callie. "When the hell did they make a key to the on-call rooms?" Both women scrambled around for their shirts and had them back on and charts and papers in front of them by the time the door was finally forced open.

Callie swore under her breath then looked up and gave the intruder a fake smile. "Mark."

"Callie." He greeted. "Erica."

"Where the hell'd you get a key?" Callie asked.

"I don't know, what the hell are you two doing locking the door."

Erica picked some papers up. "We're reviewing a patient before we go into surgery."

"Behind a locked door? Behind a locked on-call room door?"

Callie nodded, smiling. "Yeah. We wanted to make sure we wouldn't have to deal with you."

"You know…I…ah…d…what is your problem?"

"I don't want to have sex with you."

"You used to."

Callie shrugged. "Well I don't anymore."

He turned to Erica. "You did this to her." Erica laughed.

"She has good taste." Callie said as they exited the room.

"I'm going to find out who 'E' is. Just you wait." He called after the pair.

They stepped into the elevator and bursted out laughing. "Do you think he'll figure it out?" Erica laughed.

Callie turned to Erica and grabbed the file out of her hand, dropping it to the floor. "I think" She began. "That your mouth should be used for more than talking. Especially about Mark Sloan.

Erica reached over and pressed the 'STOP' button, suspending them between the 4th and 5th floors. They made out for about five minutes before the elevator un-stopped itself and resumed its slow decent down.

* * *

Surgery had been almost unbearable. And not just because Mark Sloan was also scrubbed in, but because Erica and Callie had to be working side by side the entire time. Erica was working on the heart, while Erica had been working on the right arm, making their working spaces one in the same. They would bump each other purposefully and brush against one another purposefully. All the while staying as far away from Mark as possible and not speaking to the man at all.

Although, that didn't stop him from rattling on. "Alright, so I know this guy is a surgeon."

Erica laughed. "Will you just give it up Mark? She's not going to tell you."

He stopped what he was doing and looked up at Erica. "You're her best friend, right?" Erica looked up. "I bet you know."

Callie laughed and subtly ran a hand down the side of Erica's thigh. "I'll bet she does too."

The quick intake and the hitch in her throat did not go unnoticed. "Erica, you alright?"

"Yeah." She lied. "Thought I was getting hiccups for a second."

And so the surgery went on with Mark pressing the two for information and the two touching each other inappropriately without anyone noticing.

The minute they got out, they got out before Mark did, Callie went into his lab coat and grabbed his keys then the two went in search of a new on-call room. The past 5 hours had been torture, and they needed to relieve some of the tension before they both exploded. Erica was behind Callie as she fumbled with the door. She pressed Callie against the jammed door and made it look like she was trying to help Callie, but the pair knew better.

"Erica, I swear to God."

"You swear what Callie?"

Callie bit her lip. If they weren't in a semi-crowded hallway she would have turned around right then and told her every sexual thing that had been running through her head since they were forced apart in the on-call room earlier. But instead she wiped her sweaty palms on Erica's outer thighs that were pressed against her and had the door open within seconds.

The sound of the door slamming shut must have alerted everyone on the floor, but Erica didn't care. Callie had been teasing her all day and now it was her turn. Erica pinned her to the door and reached over for the lock. She knew where Callie liked to be touched, so she avoided those spots completely, but the spots where Callie really liked to be touched, she grazed over lightly just letting Callie feel her skilled fingertips before moving on.

"Not fair." Callie panted.

There was a glint in Erica's eyes. She used her lips and kissed around Callie's mouth, just beside that spot on her ear…everything to drive Callie wild.

Callie took a breath, but nothing would calm her right now. She grabbed Erica's face. "Do what you want with your hands, but this…" She kissed Erica the way she liked to be kissed, needed to be kissed. "…this, stays right here." Erica was more than happy to oblige.


	5. Never

You guys are great. Thanks for your support. As always, R & R

Village Voice

* * *

The rest of the week went relatively the same way. They'd walk in together, be pulled apart, rescue each other when they couldn't leave, mess around in the occasional on-call room or doctors' lounge, meet for lunch blatantly flirting and touching to see if anyone noticed – no one ever did, Mark would bother Callie trying to figure out who 'E' was, Erica would laugh at any attempts from the man to get any information out of her, it was a good time…that is, until the end of the week.

Erica was in another long surgery. It seemed the hospital was determined to keep her and Callie apart during the day, but that was alright. The days didn't matter, it was the nights. And tonight was to be the night. They had realized very soon after they embarked on their new relationship, that it was going to be very hard to contain themselves for very long. So, they had set a one-week goal. If they could go one week and still not want to kill each other, they would take the plunge, they would indulge themselves, body, mind and soul in what they had been craving since the first night.

She got a text from Erica. _'Just taking a short break, supposed to be here for another 3 hours or so. Can't stop thinking about you. E.'_ Callie smiled and tucked her phone away, not letting another cell phone fiasco happen like it did with Mark in the cafeteria. If anyone read her texts, it would because she told them they could. She tried focusing on the paperwork in front of her, but that was next to impossible. She was too excited.

Nothing could keep her down, not even Mark. "E . . . E E E E E." He paced around, stopping at the surgical board and wandering his way around the station Callie was filling her paperwork out on. She shook her head. Would he ever pull his head out of his ass long enough to realize who 'E' was? How she and 'E' stood a little too close when they were checking out the surgical board or how 'E' always whispered in her ear when other people were around or how her face lit up whenever she saw 'E' across a room.

And when, she thought, when would he remember that he had watched her kiss Erica outside the hospital two days before he read that text? Did that just slip his mind? Did he simply forget that he basically told her that he knew she thought about Erica all the time, that he had gotten her off during sex by talking about Erica, that he was the one who told her to go to Erica and make the first move? He told her to finish what she started for God sakes. Did he remember any of that? . . Did he?

Whatever the case, it didn't matter. Because after tonight they will have consummated their relationship and nothing Mark said could bother Callie again. Because after tonight, Erica would really be hers, body, mind and soul, and she would be Erica's.

"Have you told Erica who it is?" Mark asked.

She suppressed a smile and instead went for a pissed of sigh. "I may have mentioned it to her."

"May have, or did? You may have mentioned it in passing, or you did mention it and you two stayed up all night talking about how good of a kisser he is and how long it took him to find your-"

"She knows alright." Callie snapped. "She knows."

Mark nodded and walked away with a smug look on his face.

The minute he was gone, Callie's world fell into total darkness. Someone had put their hands over her eyes and she knew exactly who it was. "Mark, really…I'm not in the mood."

The hands fell from her eyes immediately. "If you think I'm Mark then we are going to have some serious problems tonight."

Callie turned around with a big smile on her face. "I thought you were in surgery."

Erica leaned against the desk. "I wanted to surprise you."

In that moment Callie didn't care who was around. She took one step toward Erica and held her arms out. Erica easily slid into Callie's arms, with Callie's hands around her neck and her hands on Callie's face. Their kiss was fiery and passionate and hot and foretold of everything to come later on. Little did either of them know that Mark was watching from around the corner.

* * *

They drove to Erica's in relative silence, their fingers entwined between them. Erica turned into the driveway and for once was glad it was nearly pitch-black out, save for a few street lamps and the cosmos above. She needed it to be dark, because she needed to not see Callie. She needed to not see Callie so she could get inside, cook dinner and make everything perfect for her. Because if she saw Callie, if she saw her beautiful features, she wasn't so sure she would be able to contain herself.

But of course, Callie had other ideas. She wrapped her arms around Erica from behind and leaned her head on her shoulder. "It's so beautiful here. You can see the stars. It's peaceful."

Erica smiled and thought of their plans ahead. "If you want peaceful you came to the wrong place."

* * *

For dinner Erica had made them spaghetti with this sweet sauce and a wine that complimented the meal perfectly.

As time went on and they went from the table to the couch, Callie felt herself getting more and more excited, but at the same time more and more nervous. She had never done this before. Come to think of it she didn't know if Erica had either. Not that she wanted to know, she would prefer not to think about Erica with other people as they were about to take the next step.

But she couldn't help thinking about her body. What if Erica didn't like it? Erica wasn't the thinnest person in the world, but she was still thinner than Callie. What if there was something about her body that Erica didn't like? She hadn't even been able to keep her husband interested, what made her think she could keep Erica interested?

"Callie" Erica interrupted, snapping Callie back to reality.

"Hmm?"

Erica reached over and took Callie's hand. "Relax. If this is too much too soon, we can wait. We can slow down if you need to."

Callie smiled at the other woman. She had been so sweet, so understanding. "It's not that." She took a deep breath and opened her mouth a few times, but nothing came out. Finally she looked over at Erica, into those blue eyes she loved so much, and everything just poured out. "After George, I was convinced I could never make anyone happy. I thought for the longest time that there was something wrong with me or my body. If I couldn't even keep my husband interested in me, someone who was legally obligated to be with me . . . if I couldn't keep him interested, how was I supposed to keep anyone else?"

Erica scooted over closer to Callie and guided the darker woman's head into her lap and ran her fingers through her long, dark hair. "It's hard, opening yourself up again after being hurt like that. It's hard allowing yourself to trust again after going through what you did. It's hard, but-"

"Erica, that's just it. With you it's not hard." She looked down and took Erica's free hand, entwining their fingers together. "For the first time in a long time I see things clearly. You were there for me when no one else was…like really there for me. You made me forget everything; George, being cheated on, all the embarrassment. No one has made me feel like this in a long time . . . and I'm not ready to lose that." She looked back up at Erica. "I'm not ready to lose you."

"Callie, I'm not going anywhere. You're not going to lose me. I like you Callie. Your body is pretty nice too, but I like you. You, Callie Torres, bone breaker." Callie laughed. "I told you once that I didn't do sex, and I don't. Sex is meaningless and with someone you pick-up at a bar and rent a by-the-hour hotel room for. I make love, and I don't do that lightly. Callie, if what I feel for you wasn't 100 real, I wouldn't be here right now. I wouldn't be doing this.

"You are perfect. You don't need to worry about me running and hurting you because it's never going to happen."

Callie smiled. Erica always knew exactly what she needed to hear. "Never?"

Erica shook her head. "Never."

That devilishly sexy smile Callie had perfected came to her lips. "Well then Dr. Hahn" She sat up and got off the couch, holding her hand out to Erica. "Let's hope you don't disappoint."

Erica took Callie's hand and let herself be led away from the couch. "Never."


	6. Oh My God

Okay guys, this is the time where I start apologising profusely. I'm leaving June 13th, this Friday, for a counselor job at a summer camp. I won't be back until at LEAST August 23rd, possibly the 24th.

Now, I will have my laptop up at camp with me, but how much writing I get done and how much posting I will do depend on a lot of things I have no control over.

So, there is this chapter and I have the next, and I will try my hardest to get the 8th finished and posted before I leave, but I make no promises.

Anyway, thanks for being so great. I'll post the 7th chapter later this week and possibly the 8th

Village Voice

* * *

Erica looked up at Callie over her mask and surgical glasses. This close…they had been this close to sharing the most magical night together and then they get a call. A call that said they needed to get back to the hospital and into surgery immediately. There had been a ten car pile-up and they needed all hands on deck.

It was just before 11:30pm when the pair arrived and it was well past 3 in the afternoon by the time they were finished. Erica had lost three of her patients and Callie two. It was never easy dealing with losing a patient, but just knowing that they had each other made it a little more bearable.

Callie was slumped over the nurses' station when Erica walked over. "I have been awake for over 36 hours." She said.

Erica put a hand on Callie's shoulder and gently rubbed her back. "I know. So have I."

Callie lifted her head from her arms and looked up. "On-Call room?"

"Callie." Erica warned, giving her 'the look'

"To sleep. And I'm the one with the dirty mind?" She took Erica's hand and led her down the hall to the on-call room.

Without even thinking of locking the door, Callie laid down on the furthest bed and opened her arms for Erica to join her. Erica took off her lab coat and snuggled right into Callie's embrace. They were asleep in seconds

* * *

Erica had been paged for a consultation briefly, but for the most part the couple were still sleeping soundly by the time 7pm rolled around. That is, until someone came in looking for her mentor.

The knock was light, which was why neither woman heard it, nor the door when it opened. "Dr. Hahn?" Erica stirred, but didn't wake-up. The intruder walked further into the room until she came to the furthest bed against the back wall. "Oh my God."

That did it. Erica jerked up in an instant, hitting her head hard on the bunk above. "Ow."

"Oh my God." Callie sat-up and immediately turned Erica's head so she could look at it. Then she saw Christina. "Oh my God."

Erica collapsed back down onto the bed. "Oh my God."

* * *

After going with Christina for the consultation she had been sent to find Erica for, the trio headed into the doctor's lounge to stitch up Erica's head.

For the most part Christina had stayed out of the way, acting like a 6-year-old who had gotten caught with her hand in the preverbal cookie jar. "Dr. Hahn I'd be glad to stitch that up for you." She said taking a few steps toward the surgeon.

"Don't take another step Yang. If you haven't forgotten, you are the reason half of my head is sliced open."

Callie got the sutures ready and brought the needle to Erica's head. "Don't be so dramatic. You're only going to need a couple of stitches."

"Have you ever heard of a pager Dr. Yang?" Erica asked.

"Yes."

"Do you know how to use one?"

"Yes."

"Then why was I not paged for the consult? You thought it was better to wander the hospital looking for me and wasting valuable time?"

"No Dr. Hahn."

"Then why wasn't I paged?"

Christina reached into her pocket and pulled out Erica's pager. She leaned forward and placed it on the table in front of the doctor. "You left in Mr. Collier's room when you went for the consult earlier."

Callie had to stifle a laugh. Erica did not look pleased.

"But as I see it Dr. Hahn, I am the one with the upper hand here."

Erica looked up. "Excuse me?"

"I caught you and Dr. Torres doing something I doubt you would want the whole hospital knowing about."

"We were sleeping." Callie defended.

"Together."

"We were cold?" Callie suggested.

"You would blackmail your boss?" Erica asked.

Christina's only reply was, "Desperate times." Callie laughed and put the last stitch on Erica's forehead while Erica watched Christina walk out of the room.

"I knew there was a reason I didn't like her."

"Oh come on Erica. She's not that bad. All she wants to do is learn."

"Yeah. That and scrub in on my next thirty surgeries." She leaned back. "…It was worth it though." She turned to Callie and laughed. "That look on her face was priceless."

Callie caressed Erica's face, leaned in and spoke in all seriousness. "Am I worth it?"

Erica leaned into the touch. "Always."


	7. What's Right?

Disclaimer Here: This chapter is rated 'M' Not for little eyes of little readers.  
Also, I don't own _The Quest_, that is property of Bryn Christopher

So I went through a random writing spree today and have up to chapter 11 written and will hopefully post them before I leave friday morning.

Village Voice

* * *

Being a heart surgeon Erica didn't get enough sleep as it was, so she really didn't need to be answering the door at one o'clock in the morning. However, once she opened the door all negative thoughts were forgotten and she immediately smiled.

"Okay, here's the thing." Callie began. "I have this problem now where I don't like to be away from you for any longer than absolutely necessary-"

Erica laughed and pulled Callie into the house, shutting the door behind them.

"I know we just saw each other like…a few hours ago, but I-"

Erica took Callie's face into her hands and guided the other woman's lips to her own instantly silencing her. After a moment, she pulled away. "Callie." She put a hand under Callie's chin and pushed her chin up until dark brown met blue. She kissed her again. "You don't have to feel bad for wanting to spend time with your girlfriend."

Callie smiled at the word. "I don't?"

"Of course not. Callie, this is why we got together in the first place."

"Oh, not because I couldn't have gone another minute without kissing you or I'd explode?"

Erica laughed. "No."

"Hmm…" Callie pretended to think for a minute. "Then I'm out of ideas."

Erica laughed. The kind of laugh that warmed the pit in Callie's stomach. "So we can be together. We don't have to hide anything anymore…well, not from each other at least. We can be who we are and love who we want."

"Did you just say love?"

Erica smiled and took Callie's hand, leading her into the bedroom.

This time felt right. Nothing had been planned, so there was no pressure to make the night perfect. It had just…happened. And God was Callie glad that it did because she had a feeling if they went much longer she just might have exploded.

She watched as Erica walked over and shut the door. There was no one but them in the house, but it was a sweet gesture. She wanted to make sure Callie didn't feel too exposed, too vulnerable.

"You afraid the cat's going to walk in on us?"

Erica laughed. She blatantly laughed at her. That warm chuckling laugh that made Callie feel absolutely incredible. But Callie knew why she really closed the door. Erica knew Callie was feeling vulnerable right now. It was her first time with a woman and she was opening herself up again, letting Erica see a side of her not many people had seen before. George had seen it, and that hadn't turned out well and Erica knew Callie was scared because of it. With the simple act of closing the door she shut everything else out, leaving just her and Callie, and they both knew Callie trusted Erica with more than just her life.

Callie took a step closer. "My heart's in this you know."

Erica followed Callie's lead and stepped closer. She knew this was hard for the younger woman. Opening yourself up and handing your heart over to someone who could very well smash it to bits took a lot of trust. . . and love, and Erica was determined to show Callie that she was worth all of it, she was worth the risk. "I'll take good care of it." She said in all sincerity.

Callie believed her. Never in her life had she so easily believed someone, but with Erica . . . she just did. Those few little words were all it took for Callie to know this was right. Them, what they were doing, their entire relationship…it was right.

Erica walked over to her nightstand and grabbed a remote. A few seconds later the beat to Bryn Christopher's _The Quest_ poured over the room. Callie smiled and unconsciously began to sway her body with the music.

Erica slowly walked back over to Callie, giving her every opportunity to get out if she wanted, but that was the furthest thing from Callie's mind.

_I'm leaving tonight  
Going somewhere deep inside my mind_

Callie smiled _that_ smile. That smile that made Erica go weak at the knees because she knew exactly where Callie's mind was and exactly what was going to transpire in the very near future.

_I close my eyes slowly  
Flowin' away slowly  
But I know I'll be alright_

Erica had just barely stopped millimeters in front of Callie when the darker woman took things into her own hands. She stepped forward, closing the gap between their bodies.

_It's callin' stronger to me  
And I know someone is out there_

It was as if there was something, something stronger than either of them of them pulling closer and closer until their lips met. Soft at first, tender…explorative, until whatever was pulling them together got to the point where they literally could not focus without every single inch of their bodies touching and their tongues halfway down each other's throats.

_Lead the way  
Lead the way  
Show me the answers I need to know_

Briefly breaking contact, Erica took Callie by the hand and led her to the bed. Callie sat down on the bed and looked up at Erica. Slowly bringing her hands up and caressing Callie's face Erica leaned down and planted kisses all over Callie's face and neck, anywhere there was skin showing.

She lowered herself onto Callie's body, pushing the other woman's body flat back onto the bed. She looked down and admired all of Callie's features. She truly was a remarkable woman, beautiful by any definition.

Callie did the same thing. Not many people would consider Erica beautiful, but she did. With her lip gloss all over Erica's lips and her skin tinted pink with arousal. And her eyes. Erica had the most beautiful blue eyes which looked even better under the haze of arousal, excitement and love - she had never looked so beautiful. Her hair was catching what little light there was in the room and making her positively glow. She reached up and tucked a stray hair behind Erica's ear.

_What I'm gonna live for  
What I'm gonna die for  
Who you gonna fight for  
I can't answer that_

Callie smiled. All the answers she ever needed to know were so clearly laid out in front of her . . . or on top of her rather. "I love you."

_What I'm gonna live for  
What I'm gonna die for  
Who you gonna fight for  
I can't answer that_

"I love you too." A second later their lips were together once again and before either knew what was happening, clothes were thrown all over the place and they were both completely naked. Neither had been so utterly naked, except when coming out of the womb, so utterly exposed and yet so totally and completely comfortable.

_All my life, it is  
It is all my love_

Callie parted her legs as Erica edged her knee closer and closer to the spot Callie needed to have more than itched. Now there was no ignoring her body and that of the beautiful woman above her. She could feel the pull of their two bodies that neither was in control of.

Erica pulled away and looked deep into Callie eyes, deeper than she had ever been able to see before. "Are you ready?"

Callie licked her lips. "Oh yeah."

_All my life, it is  
I know it is a life to live lately  
From above I hear  
I hear the sound of them sinkin'_

Without a second thought, she brought a hand around the back of Erica's neck and brought the blonde's lips down to hers and kissed her deeply.

Erica pulled away and began a train of kisses beginning with Callie's jaw line…to her collarbone…bottom of the left breast…top of the right . . . all the way down to that sweet spot on her lower abdomen. And she was right on the money with each tiny kiss. It was just like revving up an engine. Slowly her hand began to travel up Callie's thigh.

"Don't tease me Erica."

"I don't intend to. Tonight is all about you." She whispered into Callie's ear. Then she nibbled ever so softly on her earlobe. Callie leaned into every touch, needing more contact.

"I swear Erica."

"You can swear all you want Callie, but that's not going to help you one bit."

Callie brought her lips back to capture Erica's and her tongue begged for entrance. It was quickly granted and she once again explored the warmth of the other woman's mouth. A place that was made especially for her – designed especially for her. Other people had ventured to this forbidden land, but Callie had moved in…and she wasn't going anywhere.

While one hand was lazily drawing on Callie's hip, Erica completely ignored Callie's exposed lower half and ventured upward. She gently cupped Callie's very well-endowed breasts. She softly brushed her thumb over the brunette's hardened nipples. Then she added pressure.

"God Erica."

"Don't worry Baby I'll get you there." She brought her mouth down on Callie's very swollen nipple and sucked ever so softly on the swollen area.

_I feel numb, I'm alive  
I know I'm getting closer_

"Erica…"

Erica stopped all the attention to Callie's body and looked up.

Callie let out a frustrated sigh. "Okay, one…not nice. Two, I . . ."

"What Callie? What do you want?"

_What I'm gonna live for  
What I'm gonna die for  
Who you gonna fight for  
I can't answer that_

Callie leaned her head back, squeezed her eyes shut and tried to form a coherent thought. "I need . . . I want you . . . God, just get inside me already."

_What I'm gonna live for  
What I'm gonna die for  
Who you gonna fight for  
I can't answer that_

Erica brought her lips down to Callie's once again. Their tongues were now in perfect rhythm with each other and it drove Callie completely crazy. She bit down gently on Callie's lower lip as she took two fingers and guided them deep into Callie's very core. She started out slow, but of course that didn't satisfy Callie so she quickly added another finger and worked up with a steady pace with increasing speed. Callie gripped the sheets and Erica applied more and more pressure until Callie was right at the edge and then pulled her fingers out.

Callie slammed her hands down on the bed. Erica looked down at her work and a big smile overtook her face as she lowered herself down Callie's body and replaced her fingers with one very talented tongue. She brought Callie closer and closer to the edge until her orgasm took over.

_My life has had it's share of troubles  
And now I found a place to go_

_"ERICA!"_ Erica was it. Erica was her place to go, her safe haven. Her home.

Erica stayed with Callie until she had rode out her orgasm strong and full and collapsed into a bundle of raw and completely exposed nerves. When she was finally through, Erica brought her face up and licked her lips. Callie opened her eyes in time. Her juices…juices that had once been inside of Callie, were now inside of Erica.

_I've said goodbye to all my troubles  
'cause now I've found my place to go_

Callie looked up at Erica, more turned on than she had ever been in her life. She was about to pass out from the sheer excitement of everything, but that sight brought her right back. Erica saw the arousal in Callie's eyes and collapsed down beside her, her body glistening.

Not missing a beat Callie recharged in 0.3seconds and swung her leg over so that Erica was firmly trapped beneath her. She leaned down and whispered in Erica's ear, "Now it's my turn."

_What I'm gonna live for  
What I'm gonna die for  
Who you gonna fight for  
I can't answer that_

_What I'm gonna live for  
What I'm gonna die for  
Who you gonna fight for  
I can't answer that_

_What I'm gonna live for  
What I'm gonna die for  
Who you gonna fight for  
I can't answer that_

_Live for_

_Die For_

_Fight For_

_That_


	8. Have I Told You Lately

Okay, here's the next chapter. I have up to chapter 12 written as of now, so it just depends on how many I get to post before I leave.

Thanks guys. As always, R & R

Village Voice

"You know," Erica began as she pulled into her parking space and put the car in park. "We have to tell the Chief."

Callie blinked several times, looking from side to side. "Did I miss something?"

"Remember those sheets we had to fill out?"

"The Date and Tell sheets." Callie sighed.

"We don't have to do it right now, but…"

"We do have to do it." She finished.

"Yeah. . . Callie, if you're not-"

Callie turned to face Erica. "It has nothing to do with not being ready. I think I more than proved I'm ready last night."

"And early this morning." Erica smirked.

Callie smiled. "A few times early this morning." She corrected.

"And before we left." Erica added.

Callie chuckled. "Okay, so I think we both proved that we're _more_ than ready, but…"

"You want to keep this between us."

"Yeah. It's not that I'm ashamed or anything because I'm not. It's just-"

Erica smiled. "More fun this way."

"I wanna stay with you for as long as I can in this amazing bubble we've sealed ourselves into. Because as soon as we come out, so to speak, we have to face everyone and their judging and everything bad in the world that we are immune to right now." She leaned across the arm rests and cup holders and kissed Erica. "Have I told you lately that I love you?"

Erica kissed her back. "Not since we left the house."

"Oh," Callie replied, capturing Erica's lips once again. "Well, we'll have to fix that." She undid her seatbelt and grabbed Erica's face with a force to be reckoned with and kissed her until neither had any breath left in their lungs. She pulled away slowly, caressing Erica's face. "I love you."

Erica smiled. "I love you too." She gave Callie a quick kiss and undid her own seatbelt, turning toward the door. She chuckled to herself and turned back to Callie. "But I'd love you a lot more if you'd take your hand off the lock so we can go to work and not get fired."

* * *

Erica had been in surgery all day, and for Callie that just made the day even more long and drawn out than it usually is. Usually she would see Erica after her morning rounds, then Erica would come and find her once she was done checking on her own patients, then they would meet for lunch, take a fifteen to twenty minute break around two to tie them over until it was time to leave and if they had to stay late they would meet around six for a quick dinner. But that didn't happen today, and Callie didn't know about Erica, but she was not liking it one bit.

She tried to focus on her patients, on her charts, on the one surgery she had scheduled, but nothing was cutting it. She wanted Erica – no, she _needed_ Erica.

Last night had been too incredible and now every moment she spent away from Erica made her nauseous and felt like needles to the heart. Maybe she should page Erica for a consult. She was the "Cardio-God" after all.

"Callie it's after 8, didn't your shift end hours ago?" Mark asked as he walked up to the desk.

Callie banged her head down on the chart in her hands, repeatedly. "One day, is one day really too much to ask?" She mumbled into the chart. She pivoted around on her heels and walked in the other direction, catching the elevator just as it was closing and riding it to wherever it was headed.

Her cell vibrated, instantly bringing a wide grin to her face that got her questioning glances from the other occupants of the elevator. _'Hey Beautiful, Missed you today but it doesn't look like I'm going to be done anytime soon. I love you. E'_

"Is it possible for you two to go more than two seconds without speaking?"

Callie jumped and turned to see Mark standing beside her. He must have gotten on when she was replying to Erica's text. "Is it possible for you to stop stalking me for more than two seconds?" She shot him a look that clearly read as 'Do NOT follow me' and stepped off the elevator.

But of course Mark pressed on. "No, really. What would happen if I took your phone for a day?"

She walked over to the nurses' station and grabbed one of her patients' charts. "I would hit you."

"What would happen if I took E's phone?"

She flipped through the chart. "She'd hit you." It took Callie about five seconds to realize what she had said. "Holy shit."

If Callie had turned around she would have seen Mark and his shit-eating grin behind her. "She?"

That cat was already out of the bag, so she may as well just turn around and face it. "Did you ever stop to think that it was Erica? You read the text from 'E' two days after we kissed outside. You checked the surgical board so you had to have seen her name listed . . . You told me it was okay, you told me you wished you were all someone thought about all day. You told me to go for it." That's when she realized, and her mouth practically fell right open.

"You knew the whole damn time. You smug bastard."

Sloan smiled and spun on his heels, walking away with purpose in every step.

Callie couldn't believe it. "I hate you." She called after him. She bit her lip and smiled, rushing off to find Erica. Surgery be damned, she had to tell her _now_.

* * *

Callie had been pacing the viewing gallery for a good ten minutes trying to get Erica's attention. Erica knew she was up there, she always knew when Callie was close by, but if she had any hope of finishing this surgery within the next several hours she had to stay focused and not look up at the love of her life…however gorgeous she may be.

Finally Callie couldn't take it any longer. They had agreed that they would tell people; this may just be a bit sooner than either had anticipated. She took a deep breath and pressed the intercom button.

"Dr. Hahn?"

Erica didn't look up. "Yes Dr. Torres."

Callie paused for a minute, thinking that maybe this wasn't such a good idea.

"Dr. Torres? . . Is there something I can help you with?"

"Yeah, um you know those Date and Tell sheets the Chief sent around a few months ago?" Erica finally looked up, hoping this wasn't going where she thought it was going. "I was wondering if you could help me add a name to mine. . . What's your badge number?"

Erica could die.

* * *

"You thought when I was in the middle of a very complex, life-threatening surgery was the best time?"

Callie sat down on one of the kitchen chairs and hung her head as Erica paced the length of the kitchen.

"Now everyone knows. I thought we'd tell friends first and then work our way up, but not over the intercom in an operating room full of at least twenty people and then all the people in the gallery. Half of the hospital has to have heard by now."

"Most of the hospital, actually."

"Even better."

"Look Erica, we agreed that we'd tell people eventually."

"Yes Callie, people. Not the whole damn hospital. We were going to do it on our own time, when _we_ decided."

"This was on our own time."

Erica crossed her arms over her chest and resumed her pacing.

"Okay, so I could have had a bit more tact, but if I hadn't done it we would have had people telling _us_ that we're in a relationship by noon tomorrow anyway."

Erica stopped and looked at Callie.

"Mark knows. And we all know he's worse at gossiping than half the female staff."

"How does he know?"

"He saw us." Erica looked at her questioningly. "Outside the hospital."

Erica couldn't help but laugh at the complete ironicness of it all. Here they were being so careful and sneaking around when someone knew the whole time. She sat down across from Callie and chuckled to herself.

"So I decided to tell people. I wanted them to hear it from one of us, not him. He didn't deserve that right. I didn't want it to get back to us and then seem like we were ashamed of it." She reached over and tilted Erica's chin up. "This way it was taken into our own hands. We told people." Erica raised her eyebrows. "Okay, I told people, but it came from one of us. People are more apt to respect our relationship if we show that we do. By being up front about it and showing that we have nothing to hide, people can see that we are in a relationship and it is good and we don't have anything to hide. That hospital has ruined more relationships that anyone is willing to admit, even to themselves. . . I didn't want ours to be one of them."

Erica's heart melted. She couldn't stay mad at Callie when she had done what she had done for the sake of their relationship. She took Callie's hand from her chin and brought it up to her mouth, tenderly kissing her palm. "You do know you make it impossible for me to stay mad at you right?"

Callie got up from her chair and walked over to Erica and sat on her lap, wrapping her arms around the blonde woman's neck. Their eyes never leaving one another's.

"I love you." Erica said.

Callie smiled. "I love you too."


	9. Test Positive

Figured I'd post another one now seeing as I have a bunch more chapters ready to go

Village Voice

* * *

It had been two months since Callie had announced to God and everyone else that she and Erica were sleeping together, but with better coloring. They had gone to the hospital the day after it happened and were both pleased and surprised to find out that the world did not end. No one really gave two shits. People close to them were happy for the couple, but there were no mean rumors started or hurtful comments whispered as they walked past. Erica still had a line of people wanting her to slice open their chests and an overly eager resident up her ass, Callie still got to break bones and make grown men cry. The hospital was still standing.

But, Callie was not. For the majority of the last month or so Callie had been steadily losing weight because she hadn't been able to keep anything down. She had been having headaches, stomach cramps and other muscle pain especially in her lower back, cold sweats and incredible nausea.

Erica was quickly getting ready for work after being up with Callie most of the night. She made sure Callie was set-up on the couch - it was closer to the bathroom, had the remote to the TV, enough blankets and a bucket incase she couldn't make it to the bathroom.

"Are you sure you'll be okay?"

"I'll be fine. I mean I won't, but I will. It's the flu. I just need to wait it out."

Erica sat down in the arm chair across from the couch. "You started getting sick not long after our first time, are you having some sort of anxiety about us?"

"What? No. Erica, of course not."

Erica got up and started pacing. "Are you upset that we stopped hiding it, that we put it out in the open?"

Callie watched her pacing and got more and more nauseous by the second. "No. I'm glad we did. . . But could you stop pacing…please?"

Erica stopped dead in her tracks. "Callie, when's the last time you had a period?"

"Excuse me?"

She folded her arms over her chest. "Just humor me."

"I don't know. Things have been crazy at work and then I was focusing on us, I haven't really thought about it."

"Try."

Callie sighed. "Um . . . I guess probably before we got together."

Erica felt the pit in her stomach get bigger. She took a deep breath and instantly felt goose bumps popping up all over her body. "I think you should take a pregnancy test."

Callie looked straight into Erica's eyes _'Shit.'_


	10. We're Having A Baby

Now guys, do you really not know me by now. If Callie is pregnant, I would never make it a Mallie baby, although it may be genetically, it wont really be. So relax, Callica all the way

Village Voice

* * *

"You know," Addison began as she entered the room, file in hand. "If you wanted me to come back all you had to do was ask."

Callie attempted to smile, but she had never been so uncomfortable in her life. She was sitting there on the table alone, a thin hospital gown all that was protecting her from the world.

Addison sat down in the chair across from the exam table.

Callie knew the answer already. "I'm pregnant aren't I?"

"I'm sorry Callie. The tests don't lie. And the nausea, the back pain, the stomach cramping. Not to mention you haven't had a period in over two months." She put the file down and powered up the ultrasound machine. "Do you want to see the baby?"

Callie turned her head in the opposite direction.

Addison sighed. She'd been in Callie's shoes before. "Well I'm just going to check to make sure everything is on track in case you do decide to keep it." She just hoped Callie didn't make the same mistakes she did. Everything looked fine with the little life inside of Callie. "Developing right on schedule."

Callie put her arm behind her head and turned her head even further away from the screen.

Addison checked the heartbeat, which was also perfectly fine. Callie couldn't help but let the tears fall as she heard the fast rhythmic beats. Everything had been going fine, everything was great. Why now?

Addison wiped the gel from Callie's stomach and covered her back up, returning to her chair. "You're about 8 weeks along. The fetus is just over an inch, you can see the ears beginning to develop and the hands and feet." Addison realized she was talking to herself and jotted her findings down on Callie's chart. When she was done she closed up the folder and put it aside. "Callie?"

Callie would not move.

"Callie, what are you going to do?"

Still she received no response. "I'm judging your conception was around the 28th because it looks like the baby is just entering the 8th week." Still nothing. She got up and walked over to where Callie was facing and knelt down beside her. "Callie, I know you're scared. I do, believe me I do." She put her hand on Callie's arm. "I'm here for you."

* * *

Erica was waiting for Callie right outside the exam room, but once they were done Callie stormed right out of the room and out of the hospital. Erica stayed back and talked to Addison.

"She's pregnant."

Erica was in a state of shock similar to Callie's. "I can't lose her."

"Tell her that."

Erica nodded. "Thanks Addison."

Callie didn't know where to go. She had moved out of Christina's place and in with Erica, but she couldn't go there. Everything was so messed up. She didn't know how long she was sitting in her car, but it had to be a good amount of time because eventually Addison came out and slid into the passenger seat beside her.

"I don't know what to do."

"That's perfectly normal Callie."

They sat there in silence for a while. "What did Erica say?" Callie finally asked.

"She's concerned about you."

"She didn't say she never wants to see me again?"

"Callie, she knows you had sex before you two got together. She knows you had sex with Mark before you two got together. She even knows it was less than 48 hours before you got together. . . She loves you."

Callie unconsciously placed a hand over her lower abdomen. "She's the love of my life. I don't know what I would do without her Addy. But this is my child. I couldn't live with myself knowing I killed my own child."

Addison grimaced, but hid it well. She knew Callie wasn't saying anything about her or the personal choices she had made. "So you're keeping it?"

Callie slammed her hands down on her steering wheel. "I don't know. Everything was perfect, and now…Now I don't know."

"Go home Callie. Go home and talk to Erica."

"She doesn't get out for at least another 45 minutes."

"Good. Then go home and think. Then when she gets home, talk with her. Let her know what you're feeling. She may be feeling the same thing."

* * *

After dropping Addison off at her hotel, Callie drove straight to the home she shared with Erica. It was a nice house, grey with white shutters and trimmings. There was a stone fireplace in the middle of the living room, hardwood floors, a spacious dining room, more than enough room for them both to cook and move around the kitchen, a den with a window seat and flat screen TV. There was a fenced in yard behind the house, enough room for a pool and plenty of trees for a really cool tree house. Upstairs was the master bedroom, Erica's office and two spare bedrooms. The one right next to their room would be perfect for a nursery. It was facing the back of the house with a nice view of the yard and the little stream that ran behind the house.

Callie kicked off her shoes and collapsed down on the mocha and ivory sheets of her and Erica's king size bed, disturbing one sleeping cat.

"Oh, sorry Domino." She moved over and the cat curled up next to her, resting her head on Callie's hip. That was how Erica found them when she got home three hours later. She quietly put down her bag and took a detour down to the kitchen to grab a glass of water and picked a blanket up from the hall closet on her way back to the bedroom. She covered Callie with the blanket and sat down beside her on the bed.

"Hey."

Erica brushed the hair from Callie's face. "Hey."

"You came home."

"Did you expect me not to?"

"Kinda."

"I'll always come home."

Callie smiled and reached up to caress Erica's face. "You've been crying."

"Here, sit-up." She helped Callie to sit-up and gave her the glass of water. "Drink this."

Callie took the glass and took a few sips. "Why were you crying?"

Erica smiled and tucked a hair behind Callie's ear. "I don't want to lose you."

Callie looked up. "Why would you lose me?"

"Cause you're having Mark's baby. I thought you'd want to have it with him. Be the…perfect little family."

Callie put the glass down and turned so that she was facing Erica and grabbed her hands. "Yes, this is Mark's baby, but there is absolutely no chance that I am going back with him. We were never together in the first place, it was just sex. Certainly not enough to raise a child together."

"So what do you want?" Erica asked, barely a whisper.

"You. Erica, I love you. That's not going to change. Not now, not ever. You make me the person I want to be. You make me happy. I never thought so many things were possible until you came into my life. You're my soul mate. Every minute we're apart is another minute I'm wishing we were together." She leaned over and kissed a tear from Erica's cheek. "I want this baby, but I can't do it without you."

"You won't have to." Erica scooted closer and threw her arms around Callie, protecting her and their baby from anything and everything in the world. She pulled away and locked eyes with the other woman, wiping away her tears and her fears with a stroke of her hand. She took that same hand and rested it over Callie's abdomen. "We're having a baby."

Callie burst out in tears. "We're having a baby." This wasn't anywhere near where she thought things would go, but she couldn't be more happy, excited and scared if she tried. It wasn't going to be easy, nothing ever was, but they could handle it. They could handle anything together.


	11. Our Baby

Another chapter b/c leave tomorrow :(

Village Voice

* * *

The next day Callie and Erica went back to the hospital on a mission. Addison was staying in Seattle until Callie decided what to do and possibly staying during the beginning of Callie's pregnancy if she decided to keep it. So to keep herself busy she had taken a few of the overflowing OB/GYN cases since the Chief had still refused to fill her position.

She walked out of her office – her old office, putting on her lab coat and grabbing the first case of the day. Callie and Erica were waiting at the nurses' station.

"Callie. Erica. I didn't expect to see you two here."

"We were wondering if we could get the sonogram picture from yesterday." Callie asked excitedly.

"We?"

Callie smiled even bigger. "We."

"So are congratulations in order?"

Callie looked to Erica and back at Addison. "Yeah."

Addison held her arms out and brought Callie in for a hug. "Congratulations." She pulled away and turned to Erica. "You too, congratulations." After hugging both women she brought them into an exam room. "This is so great."

Callie took Erica's hand. "We think so."

Addison smiled. She had never been one to push her own agenda onto her own patients, but if Callie was going to terminate the pregnancy she was going to make an exception. She never regretted one thing in her life, every event had a reason and a purpose, it made her a stronger, a better human being. But aborting her baby was the one thing she would never forgive herself for. It was a mistake she was not about to let Callie make.

"So, you said something about the sonogram."

"Yes." Callie turned back to Addison. "Yesterday when you did the ultrasound, I saw you print out some pictures."

"And here I thought I was being stealthy."

Erica laughed. "She doesn't miss anything."

"Apparently not." Addison straightened up. "How about we do another ultrasound? Get you some fresh pictures of your baby." She was looking at both Callie and Erica. Callie nodded. "Alright."

A few minutes later Callie and Erica were looking at their baby for the first time.

"It's so tiny." Erica commented.

Addison moved the probe around Callie's stomach, pressing buttons on the machine as she went. "It is, but that doesn't mean it's going to stop giving mom problems anytime soon."

Callie smiled. "Can't wait."

Addison looked over at the couple, so in awe and utterly wrapped up in the tiny life on the screen. "Everything is right on schedule. I'll print you out a few pictures." After pressing a few buttons she wiped the jelly off Callie's abdomen and went back to the chart. "Okay, I'm going to draw some blood, prescribe some prenatal vitamins and then I think you are good to go." She made a few notes on the chart. "Let me just check the heart beat again." She walked back over to Callie with the fetal heart monitor and picked a heartbeat up right away. "Nice and strong."

"Okay, now here's the spiel everyone gets. No drinking, no drugs, if you are confused as to whether something is safe for the baby or not, call me. Plenty of fruits and vegetables and lots of sleep, especially in these beginning months. Try to stay away from cigarettes and anyone who is smoking. Get lots of exercise, walk when you can. Believe me, it will help later on. . . Now, I know you didn't know you were pregnant, but have you had anything containing alcohol in the past two months?"

"I think I've had maybe a glass or two of wine. But to be honest lately the smell of alcohol has made me really nauseous."

Addison smiled. "See, already you have a good baby there. That's its way of protecting itself. Making mommy nauseous so you'll stay away from anything harmful. That glass or two of wine doesn't seem to have done any damage, so you're probably safe. Just try to avoid it as much as possible."

"Don't worry, she will." Erica said.

Addison nodded. "Good." She took the pictures off the ultrasound machine and handed them to the newly expecting parents. "That's some precious cargo there. Take good care of it."

* * *

After their appointment they stopped by the Chief's office, and he had the Date and Tell sheets ready and waiting on his desk. They quickly filled those out, also digging through their paperwork to change Callie's home address and phone, and listing each other as their next of kin in case of an emergency. Then they asked for the rest of the week off and he gave it to them, no questions asked. No doubt hearing about Callie's appointment with Addison, but asking no questions. He just told them to be ready and on time come Monday.

Then Erica dropped Callie off at home because she was clearly exhausted. She made sure Callie was securely tucked in and all comfy cozy in bed and headed back out. Callie was asleep before the door even closed.

* * *

Erica was back a few hours later, armed to the teeth. She made sure she was quiet as to not disturb Callie. Well, it wasn't really not to disturb Callie, more like to not wake Callie up so she could see what Erica was doing and stop her. Everything in the fridge had to go – Everything! Erica herself was a pretty healthy eater, she saw what bad eating habits did to peoples arteries and their hearts, but Callie…she was a different story. The more fat and grease and carbs something had, the more she loved it. But that was all going to change.

Erica dragged the garbage can over and started dumping everything into it. And she found Callie's secret stash. Way in the back of the freezer, behind the box of French toast sticks no one ever touched. There were Reeses, Snickers, Hershey bars and God only knew what the rest of it once was. Coke, Monster and Red Bull were hidden on the top of the fridge way in the back. Then there was the stash of Sour Patch Kids and Swedish Fish in one of the cabinets. No wonder she hadn't been feeling well. Not that Erica had seen her with any of it recently. Oh well, in the trash it all went. Callie would not be happy.

The fruit and vegetable bins in the refrigerator were actually filled with…fruits and vegetables for once, fresh, not that frozen stuffed jam packed with preservatives and chemicals. She got fresh meat and milk and cheese and eggs and some yogurt thing that was supposed to be really good for pregnant women. She had gotten orange juice and apple juice and grape juice…there were a lot of juices. And also a lot of water. Hydration is good.

Then she bought whole-grain cereal, oatmeal, wheat bread, crackers, saltines…lots and lots of saltines and ginger ale for Callie and a bunch of other things that had somehow jumped into her shopping cart. Although, she did buy a fair amount of ice cream, but it was this slow-churned concoction that was supposedly a lot healthier than regular ice cream. She couldn't just make Callie quit everything cold-turkey. But of course the chocolate sauce and whipped cream hadn't made it through this new leaf.

Before she knew it, the fridge, cabinets and pantry were full and all the bags were empty. She quickly got rid of them. If Callie didn't see the bags, it would take her a bit longer to realize what had transpired while she slept like the dead.

She went upstairs to check on Callie and found her still sleeping. She was curled up, spooning Erica's pillow with Domino curled into a little ball against the back of her knees. She quietly walked over and grabbed her camera off the dresser. Some moments were just too cute to pass up. After a few shots were taken, Erica took the blanket off the floor and put it back around Callie and silently walked back out of the room, leaving the door open a hair behind her.

Back downstairs, Erica got busy making what would become an amazing chicken fettuccine alfredo. It probably wasn't the most healthy thing she could make, but Callie loved it. She paired that off with an almond strawberry salad and had it all out on the table by the time Callie decided to join the land of the living.

"Hey Baby." Erica greeted.

"Hey." She walked over to the table. "What's all this?"

"It's food Callie. You know, something you eat. I know you haven't been able to keep much down, but try a few bites."

Callie sat down and inhaled the sweet aromas. "Aw, you made my favorite. For you, I'll force it down. It smells amazing." Then she noticed the roses and smiled over at Erica. "I love you."

Erica wiped her hands and joined Callie at the table, giving her a sweet little kiss. "I love you too."

Despite not being able to keep anything down the past few days Callie had absolutely no problem downing the entire meal.

"Wow." Erica looked on. "I'm impressed."

"Well, when you haven't been eating for a while one tends to get a little hungry."

"How are you feeling? Any nausea?"

Callie shook her head. "No, none so far today. It's almost as if the minute we decided to keep the baby, it went away." After Erica dumped the dishes in the sink they made their way over to the couch and snuggled up in their favorite position. "Addison says the conception date was the 28th."

"Really?"

Callie smiled and snuggled closer into Erica. "Yeah. Our first night together." Erica smiled. "This baby may genetically be Marks, but it was conceived when you and I were together. It's our baby Erica."

Erica gave Callie a soft kiss on her temple. "Our baby."


	12. Hey Big Daddy

Okay guys, this is it. One for the road seeing as I leave tomorrow morning. I have no idea when I'll be able to write, never mind post more chapters. I do have a few ready to go, so those will be sporratically posted as I have the time. Anyway, thanks for being so great.

Reviews would be a great send off.

Village Voice

* * *

Erica to ok a long breath in and walked forward. "Sloan."

Mark looked up from the chart he was reading. "Erica."

Erica rolled her eyes. She hated that he called her Erica. Erica was reserved for people she actually liked. Although, he was the father of Callie's baby so if he wanted to be involved with the child, which he had every right to be, she would have to learn to at least tolerate him. She bit her tongue and smiled. "We need to talk."

"I haven't seen you around for a few days, is everything okay?"

"Callie's been sick."

"Nothing serious I hope." She could see genuine concern on his face.

Serious…well, if he meant something that would change their lives forever, then yes. But if he meant serious as in something really wrong with Callie then no…not really. "No, she'll be fine. She's been doing a lot better actually."

"Glad to hear it. Let me know if there's anything I can do." He jotted something down and closed the chart. "So, what do you wanna talk about? Me, You, Callie, threesome?"

Erica scoffed and raised an eyebrow. "Not in your wildest dreams Sloan."

"Oh, in my wildest dreams Erica."

"Ew." That was not a pretty mental image. "Anyway, Callie and I were wondering if you would come over to our place later tonight."

He wiggled his eyebrows. "I knew it was only a matter of time."

"Do you have an obsession with the number three Sloan?"

"I don't know. You and Callie are two…Am I three?"

She shook her head. "Not even close." A nurse came up to her and handed her a chart. She flipped it open and turned around, walking in the opposite direction of Mark. "We'll meet you after your shift."

* * *

Mark looked around the house, it was a nice place. In Seattle, without being in Seattle. From the back porch you could see the city, but they were still far enough away so that they couldn't hear the city. He turned as he heard Erica walk outside, glass of wine in hand. "Nice place."

Erica handed over the glass. "Thanks. My parents gave it to me when I graduated med school."

"Really? How nice of them."

"Yeah, well, it was a guilt gift so don't look too much into it." For once Mark decided to let the issue drop and followed Erica back into the house where Callie had started a fire in the fire place. Mark sat down in the armchair and Callie sat in the loveseat, waiting for Erica to come back with their drinks. Wine for herself and grape juice for Callie.

"Grape juice Callie?"

Callie took the glass Erica held out for her and remained silent. After setting her own glass down, Erica sat next to Callie and grabbed her hand, giving Callie as much strength as she could.

"You know, if you want a threesome I'm in. You don't even have to ask."

Callie looked at him like he had just sprouted an extra appendage. "Ew."

Erica laughed. "That was my reaction too."

Mark looked confused. "So I'm really not here for a threesome?"

Erica tore her eyes away from Callie and looked at Mark. "Really, _really_ not."

"Did you think you were?" Callie asked.

"Well…"

Callie and Erica burst into laughter.

"Is there a reason I'm here or did you just need a good laugh?" Callie and Erica immediately stopped laughing and looked at each other. Erica entwined her fingers with Callie's and squeezed her hand. She hated seeing Callie hurting or in pain or scared, but she needed to be the one to tell Mark.

Callie squeezed Erica's hand back and then let go to grabbed a picture frame off of the end table to her left. She looked down at the picture, running her thumb over the cool glass protecting it then handed it to Mark.

Mark looked down at the picture with a confused look on his face. It was the sonogram picture. He looked up at Erica and Callie, but before he could ask a question Callie spoke.

"I'm pregnant." She blurted out. There really was no other way to say it. "8 weeks."

"Congratulations. Why am I here?"

Callie shot Erica a quick pleading look, but Erica was staying out of it. This really was a lot harder on her than she wanted Callie to know.

"We thought you should be the first to know."

"I'm honored, but why?"

Now it was Callie's turn to be confused. "It's your baby."

"My what now?"

"Mark, she's pregnant with your child." Erica piped in.

Mark looked from side to side as if they were pulling some big joke on him. "When was it conceived?"

"The 28th, but it can take a while after sex for a pregnancy to occur."

"So you're telling me you conceived my kid a week after we had sex?"

"Yes?"

"When you were with Erica?"

"Yes?"

"Mark, we wanted to tell you because biologically you are the father. By law, you have rights." Erica said.

"I am keeping the baby." Callie added. "We are fully prepared to raise this baby ourselves, we want to, but we will accept whatever involvement you want to have in this child's life. That's your right as its father."

Mark's head was swimming. No, this wasn't happening. Addison had gotten pregnant with his kid and he was ecstatic, he had wanted to shout it from the rooftops. But then she had aborted it and everything had changed. His heart had literally broken into pieces. He had wanted that baby so badly. So why wasn't he excited about this baby? It was his, just as Addison's was. But this was different. He had been prepared to do anything and everything it took to be a father to Addison's baby, a good father. Maybe this would make him a bad father, or even a bad person and karma may very well kick his ass, but he wasn't ready to drop everything for this baby.

"Um, listen." Mark began handing the picture back to Callie. "I appreciate you telling me, and how difficult this was for both of you, but I'm not father material. I hate kids and pretty much anything that tiny that drools and has higher brain functionings." He stood up and walked over to the fireplace. "I need to focus on my career right now, and my plans. I have plans. Plans, that do not include a baby." He grabbed his coat. "I'll sigh whatever I need to after the kid's born to terminate my rights or whatever." And with that he walked out the door, leaving two very confused women in his wake.

Callie and Erica sat in silence for a few minutes, trying to digest everything. Finally, Callie broke that silence. "What. An. Ass. . ._ He_ has plans? What about my plans? I had plans too. He needs to focus on _his_ career." She scoffed.

Erica tilted her head to the side and tried to think.

"He needs to die. Right now." Callie fumed. "Of some bad heart problem and then have you _not_ operate on him. That would be karma right there."

"Callie."

"What, does he think I wanted this to happen?"

"Callie."

"Does he think this just happened to me and has nothing at all to do with him?"

"Callie."

"What a prick."

"_Callie!_"

Callie turned and finally looked at Erica. "What?"

Erica had tears in her eyes. "He just gave us our baby."

Callie smiled. "Wow. He is growing."


	13. Anytime

Hey guys, I know I said I wouldn't be back for a while, but my great-grandmother isn't doing so well so I came back for a few days. And to take my mind off of the situation I decided to post a chapter, cute and fluffy.

Reviews would make me feel so much better

Village Voice

* * *

"Erica? . . _ERICA_!"

Erica ran into the bedroom with a toothbrush in her mouth, toothpaste dripping down her chin. "What? What's wrong?"

Callie had her shirt lifted and turned away from the full length mirror to face Erica. Callie was finally sporting a cute little baby belly. She hadn't been very flat in the stomach area before, though she had gone down a few sizes because she lost a total of 24 pounds during the first trimester. But now you could clearly tell she was pregnant. Her belly was obviously swollen and quite rounded. Erica rolled her eyes and walked back out of the room. She returned a minute later, sans toothbrush and toothpaste.

Callie lifted her shirt higher, pointing to her belly. "What is this?"

"It's an alien life form taking over your uterus Callie." Erica joked. "It's the baby, what do you think it is?"

Callie turned back to the mirror. "I'm only five months pregnant."

Erica walked around behind Callie, putting her hands around the younger woman with her hands covering her belly. "You're at a good size for five months."

"Are you kidding? I'm a whale?"

Erica kissed Callie's shoulder. "A very pretty whale."

Callie whipped around and grabbed a pillow off the bed, swinging it right at Erica. "You are _not_ supposed to agree with me."

After some more hitting with the pillow, Erica was able to grab it away from Callie. "Did you really think you were going to make it nine months without showing?"

Callie rubbed her belly, pouting. "I was hoping."

Erica put the pillow back on the bed and opened her arms, which Callie slid so easily into. "I love you." Erica whispered into her ear. Then she pulled away and looked into Callie's eyes. "You are beautiful."

"But now I'm showing."

"That's a good thing Cal. That means the baby is growing. You're being a very good host for our little parasite here."

Callie laughed. Erica always knew what to say. She was going to make a great mother. Callie leaned in and kissed Erica. "No thanks to you and your junk food ban."

Erica laughed. "_Thanks_ to me and my junk food ban."

"Being pregnant is the one time you can get away with eating whatever the hell you want."

Erica gave her 'the look.' "Nice try."

Callie snuggled in closer to Erica and rested her head on Erica's shoulder. "Thanks for taking such good care of us."

Erica ran a hand over Callie's dark hair. "Anytime."


	14. Emmalyn Hahn

I really am sorry to all of those I've offended by having Mark give up his rights to the baby, but if you can't tell...I really don't like him. And It's too cliche to have a Mallie baby, and I don't like Mallie. This is a Callica fic and a Callica baby. Though I might have him be the godfather or something.

Also, just a little note...if you really hate my stories and critique every single phrase, please send me a msg and don't write it ina review. It's just rude. We're not professionals here and I am totally willing to discuss things. That being said, thanks to everyone who has reviewed, all for one, they were great.

Village Voice

* * *

"What did you mean when you said your parents bought you the house as a guilt present?" Callie asked as she stripped out of her clothes and put on a hospital gown.

Erica tied the strings on the gown and helped Callie up onto the table. "It's a long story."

Callie laid down. "I've got time."

Erica reached into her purse and pulled out an old, worn picture. It was of two adorable little girls, with curly blonde hair and piercing blue eyes. "That's my sister."

Callie took the picture. "You have an identical twin? Why didn't you tell me? When do I get to meet her? If she's anything like you, watch out world."

"You don't. She died…shortly after that picture was taken."

"Oh Erica. I am so sorry, I didn't know."

"I know, and that's my fault." She took the picture back and sat in the chair next to the table. "She was born with a serious birth defect. She only had one side of her heart. They said the other side just didn't develop. It was a miracle she made it to the point she did. No one expected her to survive after birth. It's such a rare condition that there are no medical studies or research done on it."

"Except for yours." Callie said, then it clicked. "That's why you chose to research that. And why you went into cardiothoracics in the first place."

"Yeah." Erica looked down at the picture. "We were two…when she died. I don't even really remember her except for some pictures and home videos. After she died, my parents couldn't even look at me. We were identical, all the way down to our crooked teeth." She chuckled. "Had the same hair, the same eyes, same freckles…we were complete carbon copies. When she died, it was just too hard for my parents. They sent me to live with my grandparents. They died when I was thirteen, so then I moved back with my parents. They took me to every specialist in the country trying to figure out why I didn't have the same problem. We were identical twins, everything about us was identical - except our hearts. To this day they don't know why she was born like that and I wasn't.

"It was still hard, but I know they tried - I have to believe they at least tried." She corrected. "I'd be surprised if they even knew my favorite color. So, when I graduated med school they bought me the house. And they died six months later. I hadn't spoken to them since I left for college."

Callie caressed Erica's cheek. "What was her name?"

"Emmalyn."

Callie leaned over and kissed Erica's cheek. "I want to use that for the baby's middle name. If it's a girl, I want it to be her middle name."

Erica smiled and looked up. "Really?"

"Yeah."

"I think she'd like that."

The door opened and Addison came in with a big smile on her face. "So, we ready to know the sex?"


	15. Whipped

Ok, I know I just posted a chapter, but I just went to my great-grandmother's funeral, so I need something to cheer me up. Callica does that, and reviews certainly do that!

Village Voice

But don't expect much more in the comming weeks.

* * *

Callie stood there staring at the envelope for what felt like the better part of her shift. In that envelope was a piece of paper with the single most important detail in her life written on it. Her baby, the sex of her baby. Erica had wanted to find out immediately. _'There were things to plan'_ she had said. _'A nursery to paint, clothes to buy, a name to pick.'_

But Callie didn't know. As a doctor, she always had all the facts. Cold hard facts, black and white. But as a mother and a human being she knew that there were so few surprises in life.

"Are you gonna stare at that thing all day?" She turned to see George standing behind her. "What is it in there?"

Callie sighed. "The sex of my baby."

George's lips formed into an 'o' but he didn't utter a sound. Some things were still in the grey with him and Callie, as to what was too personal for him to ask her now and things like that. He had hurt her, bad, he knew that, and with that came the fact that he just couldn't talk with her the way he once could. Even still, he had been one of the first people she had told. Marrying someone formed a deep connection with that person, one that could never fully be broken. She would like to think of them as friends, but George knew there was a line, a big red line that he couldn't cross.

"Does Erica know?"

"No. She wants to though." She flipped the envelope over in her hands. "But she said she'd wait if that's what I want."

"She's good for you Callie. You both are, good for each other. I'm happy for you."

Callie looked up at George. "Thanks. That means a lot."

"Does Addison know."

"Yes and it is killing me. How would you feel if one of your best friends knew something important like this and you didn't?"

George leaned up against the desk. "Confused. I would want to know who had knocked me out and gave me a uterus."

Callie laughed. "You know what I mean."

"Yeah I do. . . Well, I think…I think that this is something you need to seriously think about. On the one hand, you're a doctor so it's gotta be killing you not knowing whats living inside your own body." Callie nodded. "But then on the other hand you are a doctor, so you how valuable the little things are, like waiting to find out the sex." Callie nodded again. "I don't know. I think you're a stick with the facts girl. But that's just me." He pushed off the desk and walked around to the other side. "But whatever it is, you'll make a great mom." Then he walked away. "And that kid will be gorgeous." He called over his shoulder, turning the corner.

Callie smiled and looked down at her watch. Erica's shift didn't end for another two hours. Technically hers didn't either, but she had no surgeries and she could easily find someone to cover for her. They wouldn't be as good, but some things were more important. No, Erica was more important.

* * *

The kitchen was a mess, but it was totally worth it. She had made and set-up a breakfast picnic for her and Erica in the back yard complete with candles as it was getting kind of late. Erica loved breakfast. Morning, noon or night, she was ready for breakfast. Pancakes were her favorite, blueberry pancakes stacked three high with butter in between each layer and maple syrup drizzled over the top. Callie had no doubt she would orgasm at the sight.

So, she had made Erica her blueberry pancakes and made herself some with a plethora of chocolate chips. Callie was betting on the fact that the baby was a girl, just by the amount of chocolate she was craving alone, and the strawberries. Erica had been making her chocolate covered strawberries. Three am in the morning, if Callie had a craving, Erica was downstairs dipping strawberries in chocolate. She really was too good to her.

Back to the picnic. Well, not really a picnic more of a breakfast on the table on the back porch, but Callie had draped a checkered table cloth over it, so it was close enough. In addition to the pancakes, Callie had made scrambled eggs – it didn't matter how old you were, scrambled eggs and ketchup were as good as it got, turkey bacon because Erica was a poultry and fish only vegetarian and she claimed it was healthier so Callie had gotten used to eating it, but it really was quite tasty. Then she made her famous orange, cherry and apple juice concoction Erica loved and put the glasses on the table just as Erica walked in the door.

"Callie?"

"I'm outside."

A few moments later Erica joined Callie outside. "What happened to the kitchen?" Then she stepped outside and saw what Callie had done and her face softened.

"Well, we missed breakfast this morning because we were running late, and that was totally my fault." A little fun shower had made them over an hour late when the chief had told them to be on time, but he knew it was not gonna happen so it all worked out. "So I thought I'd make it up to you."

Erica took off her jacket and placed it over the back of her chair. "Cal, this is incredible."

Callie sat down across from Erica. "You do so much for me. If I have a craving at 2 o'clock in the morning, you'll have the keys in your hand before I even tell you what I want. I thought I'd do something for you for a change."

"You do know I do all that because I want to?"

"I know, and now I want to do this for you. So shut-up and eat."

Erica mouthed 'I love you' and turned her attention to the amazingness before her. They talked about work, about how the Chief was being way to relaxed with them lately, everyone's reactions to them being together, and expecting a baby less than two months later, Addison being back in Seattle and every other thought that popped into their heads. Namely, the shower Addison wanted to throw for them.

"Who would we invite?" Callie asked. "I hate most of the people here."

"Invite them. Shove it in their faces that you have a successful career, an _amazing_ girlfriend, a wonderful home and are about to have a baby. Not many people get that."

Callie looked up at Erica, the candlelight bouncing off her hair, her eyes sparkling. "How did I get so lucky?" She asked. If she had a gun pointed to her head and was asked to remember a time that she was more happy, she wouldn't be able to do it. There was only one thing that could make it better. "We should get a dog."

Erica looked at Callie, her eyebrows raised. "Excuse me."

"A dog. A kid should have a dog."

"This kid will have a cat."

"I'm serious Erica. I was just reading this study that showed that kids benefit from growing up having a dog. They learn respect, good behavior, discipline. Not to mention it improves their emotional well-being and overall health."

Erica still had her eyebrows raised. "A dog? A real, live dog - jumps all over the furniture, shits in my yard, dog?"

"Come on Erica, I always had dogs growing up. They're great for kids."

"Callie, we have no time for a dog."

"I start maternity leave a month before the baby's due. That's the perfect time to get a puppy."

"Oh, so it's a puppy now? You expect to be able to fully train a puppy in the four weeks before the baby's born? And then what happens when we go back to work and have to leave the dog alone all day? It's not fair to be here with the animal 24/7 and then not."

Callie gave Erica her own best puppy dog face. "Please Baby.

Erica tried to look away, but she wasn't fast enough. One look from Callie was all it took for her to cave into anything. She could ask Erica to walk to Alaska, hop on a crab fishing boat, steal the biggest crab, walk back to Seattle and dress the crab up in a top hat and bow tie and she'd do it. "If you tell anyone I'm this whipped I'm taking the baby and moving to Greece."


	16. Baby No 1

Week one of camp was hell, so I'm posting some fanfic to make myself feel better. lol

Village Voice

* * *

It seemed like they had been walking up and down the aisle forever.

"What about this one?" Callie asked.

Erica stepped closer and looked inside the pen. "A Poodle? Really Callie, a Poodle? Do I look like a Poodle person to you?"

Callie didn't say anything.

"Callie!"

She laughed. "Okay, okay I was kidding."

Erica shook her head and continued down the row of never-ending dogs. Dogs that had probably been loved at one point, but now were confined to a tiny cement cell.

"So if you're not a Poodle person, what kind of dog person are you?"

"I don't know. My grandparents had a Golden Retriever until I was eight, but that's about it." She stopped and turned to Callie. "You know, we don't need a dog."

"Erica we've been over this, we're getting a dog. _Our _child _will_ have a dog."

Erica laughed and turned around, continuing her walk down the row. She stopped at one kennel that had a big yellow sign on the front of it. "I wonder what that means." She said to no one in particular.

"She's being put to sleep." Erica turned around to see the same person who had let them into the area about an hour earlier.

"Why? Is something wrong with her?" Callie asked.

"Yeah, no one wants her. It's a shame too. I've never met a sweeter dog."

"If she's so sweet, why does no one want her?" Erica asked.

The older woman crouched down and tried to coax the puppy out of his hideout. "She has a heart problem."

Erica's ears peaked right up. "Is it treatable with surgery or medication?"

"It's not treatable, no, but it is 100 maintainable with medication and a special diet. But that takes time and effort. This dog could live a long, full life. But no one wants a dog with a problem, people want healthy dogs." She stood up and walked away leaving Callie and Erica looking at each other. Callie gave her best puppy-dog face and Erica squatted down in front of the pen. After a few seconds of wiggling her fingers against the chain-link fencing, a little brown head poked its way out.

"Oh Erica."

The puppy was absolutely adorable, probably only 3 months old. Its head was completely brown then the from the neck down the rest of its little body was white, but littered and completely covered in brown spots.

Callie knelt down beside Erica and put her hand out for the little puppy to sniff. She walked right up to the pair, wagging her tail and licked both of their hands eagerly. As if she knew she had to win them over.

"Erica." Callie pleaded. Erica looked from the dog to Callie and then back to the dog again. She was really cute.

"You can't let them kill her."

Erica looked back up at Callie again. That's all it took for her to give in. "Fine, but this is _our_ dog. She's as much yours as she is mine. I don't care how big or how pregnant you get, you will be taking care of her too."

Callie jumped up and threw her arms around Erica's neck. "Deal."

* * *

The little puppy sat in the middle of the floor looking from Erica to Callie to Erica to Callie and back and forth as each of them spoke.

"Lady?" Callie suggested.

"No." Erica looked at the puppy. "Ginger?"

"She's more brown than ginger-y. What about Brownie."

"Are you trying to make sure she'll be laughed at by all the other dogs?"

Callie laughed. For someone who didn't even want a dog in the first place, Erica was awfully attached.

"Something that goes with her personality."

"Sugar? She's really sweet."

"Yeah, but she's not white." They both looked down at the tiny dog in the middle of the room thumping her tail against the wood floor. She looked back and forth between Callie and Erica 

until Erica finally had it. "I've got it." She exclaimed, causing the puppy to jump. "Mocha. She's warm, calm, and adds a little spice to our life."

Callie thought about the name. "Mocha…Mocha Mocha Mocha." She knelt down. "Come here Mocha." The tiny bundle jumped up and ran into Callie's arms, licking her face. "I think she likes it."

* * *

Their next stop was the pet store off the highway. Erica carried little Mocha into the store, the puppy licking her face the whole time and Callie walking behind the two shaking her head and laughing. She'd tell Erica later how many pictures she had been taking.

Erica went straight to the back of the store. Mocha had to be on a special diet because of her heart condition. Erica scanned the stacks of food and kept checking the piece of paper in her hand until she came to the right brand. "Of course, it's more than imported lobster." She looked down at the little puppy who continued to wag her tail and look up at Erica. "Do you have to be so damn cute?"

Callie came over with a shopping cart and they threw an extra large bag of the dry food in as well as 5 cases of the wet food. That should last them a while, but they had been told Mocha was most likely going to become a big dog, so maybe not. Callie pushed the cart as Erica walked around with Mocha looking for everything they would need. They had actually managed to find a dog bed that was modeled after an operating table. It was shaped like an actual opperating table, being slightly raised off the ground and on little wheels with brakes and everything. It was rectangular, grey and white, and even had the rails on the side of the bed, all nice and fuzzy and very comfortable. At least they guessed it was since they put Mocha on it and she immediately fell asleep.

As Callie was browsing collars and the like, Erica went off and found a feeding contraption. It had two pink heart-shaped dishes that each said 'Princess' on the bottom with little crowns and had a wrought-iron base to lift the dishes off the floor, and a matching treat jar. Apparently it was better for the dog to have its food elevated off the floor. They would have to put the bowls on the floor until she grew, but they could use it later. While Erica was off, Callie had found the collar and leash set, pink plaid with white bone rivets on the collar and matching pink plaid for the leash. She would look like a preppy puppy, but they would make sure the other puppies didn't tease her for it.

Erica went off wondering somewhere, it was the first time she had actually been in a pet store, and Callie went over to the ID making machine and made an ID tag for little Mocha. It was on a silver bone, so that it would match the silver in the collar, and had her name on the top in big letters and below it in smaller letters had their address and home phone number. She waited for it to cool off and took it out of the tray, attaching it to the collar and around Mocha's neck. She proudly lifted her head up and rotated it around, getting used to the weight of the collar and laid her head back down and fell back to sleep.

After getting a boat-load of toys and things for the pup to chew on, some storage items and some cute little shirts and clothing items, the duo paid for their purchases and packed up the car. Callie slid into the driver's seat and looked over to see Erica fast asleep with Mocha following suit in her arms. With a quick click of the camera she pulled out of the parking lot and brought her girls home.


	17. It's A

Ok, home for 24 hours so I figured I'd post it now. I know you are all dying to know the sex. Lemme know if you thought correct.

Reviews welcome and cherished

Village Voice

* * *

It had been nearly twenty minutes. Nearly twenty minutes of Callie trying to squeeze her growing belly into the biggest pair of sweats she owned. She had tried pajamas, she had tried shorts, she had tried jeans and she had tried skirts. It was not working. "Erica." She called.

A second or two later Erica jogged into the bedroom, holding her newest arm ornament. "Yeah?"

Callie let out a frustrated sigh and sat up. "We need to go maternity shopping."

Erica nodded. "I told you that three weeks ago."

"I know, but my bigger skirts and stuff were still fitting then."

"Do you have anything that fits?"

Callie looked up like a child getting reprimanded. "No."

"Well then go find a towel and wrap it around yourself because you are most definitely _not_ going out naked." She put Mocha down and lowered Callie down onto the bed, pressing their bodies together. "Now, if we had gone shopping three weeks ago." She leaned in close. "Maybe I would kiss you." Then she pulled away. "But you didn't, so I'm not."

Callie pouted, but Erica looked away before she was able to get the full effect of the face. Callie realized it was a useless battle and instead focused her attention on getting her pants off and finding something acceptable to wear to the store.

"What are we going to do with the baby?"

Callie looked up at Erica with a look that read, you have got to be kidding.

"We can't just leave her."

Callie looked down at the puppy eagerly thumping her tail on the floor. Then she looked up at Erica, rolled her eyes, and collapsed back down on the bed. This was going to be a long day.

* * *

Callie and Erica grabbed their bags and made their way to the door. "Thanks so much Addison." Erica said.

Addison looked up from her spot against the couch and avoided an eager puppy tongue. "Not a problem. I'll take a break from being Dr. Montgomery to be Auntie Addy any day. It'll be good training for when the baby comes." She hinted.

Callie laughed. "Okay, Aunt Addy. Point taken."

"Auntie Addy." Addison corrected.

Erica pushed Callie out the door. "Auntie Addy."

* * *

Callie looked around the store in utter disbelief. "I am not wearing any of this." Everything was bright and flowery and polka-dot covered and should only be worn by twelve-year-olds. It went pretty much the same way for the next half a dozen stores they went to until they were close to four hours away from home and Erica refused to drive any further.

"Have you ever known me to wear a dress?" Callie asked as they entered the next store.

Erica guided the expectant mother past the dresses to see the selection the store had. It was a massive store, one could see why Callie was overwhelmed. It was perfectly understandable, but Erica wasn't going to wonder around the state any longer. Every store had basically the same items, and this one was supposedly the headquarters for some massive maternity chain, so if Callie was going to find anything, it would be here.

Erica picked a pair of dark blue jeans off a rack. "Aren't these exactly like your favorite pair of jeans?"

Callie looked the pants over. They did look similar, except for the big elastic belly. "Yeah, except for that part."

"Sweetie, you're going to have to get over 'that part.' Look, it's called the Secret Belly. It covers your entire belly, is seamless under shirts and gives you added support." She held the jeans out for Callie. "Go try them on."

Callie just looked at her.

"They're dark - just like your favorite jeans, boot cut – just like your favorite jeans, they've got that weird back pocket design – just like your favorite jeans. And, that have that distressed thing going on…_And_, they have the belly thing which could really help your back since it's been bothering you lately." Erica felt like some kind of spokeswoman. "Callie, they look just like real jeans." Callie still wasn't budging. "They're supposed to be really comfortable.

Callie rolled her eyes and took the jeans, going into a changing stall. And Dammit if Erica wasn't right. Over her shirt, you couldn't even tell that the belly thing was there. And they had to be the most comfortable pair of jeans she had ever worn in her life. Before she knew it, she had tried and literally fell in love with many different pairs of jeans, pants, capris, shirts, tee shirts, blouses, tank tops, long sleeved shirts, sweatshirts, jackets and even a few intimate items. Her favorites though, were the tee shirts that said "What's a kicking," "I can grow people," "Baby under construction," "Coming soon to a hospital near you," one with a martini glass that said "Counting down the days," and a bunch of other cute little sayings. If anyone had told her six months ago she'd be in this spot she would have died. But now that she was here, she couldn't have been happier.

The car was packed, literally filled to the brim with all the bags that there was barely any room for Callie and Erica. Callie fell asleep almost as soon as the engine started.

* * *

With the maternity clothes, Callie really looked pregnant. You could tell before, but she had just been wearing her bigger clothing, but now that she had form-fitting maternity wear, there was no mistaking it. She wasn't scheduled with any surgeries today, which meant she didn't have to squeeze herself into the largest pair of scrubs, which failed to make it all the way around her belly. They had special ordered some, but it would take a couple of days for them to come in. So for today she was in a short sleeve faux wrap blouse in blue and black chevron print with a brown band around the middle that tied around the back and a pair of brown boot cut dress pants with a sash tie.

People were coming up to her asking to touch her belly and saying they had no idea she was pregnant, or even dating. For the most part she said no and told them that she was in fact pregnant, had been for the past six months and left it at that. But the questions that were really bothering her were the questions as to what sex the baby was. _"Do you know what you're having?" "You're carrying low, it must be a boy." "Early morning sickness means it's a girl." _She really wished people would reach a consensus. In the beginning she hadn't wanted to know, but now as she was entering her sixth month and they had yet to even start working on the nursery or picking out names. Maybe it was all the hormones rushing to her brain, but her thought processes were a little different nowadays.

She found Erica in the Attendings' Lounge updating some paperwork.

"Hey."

Erica looked up from her charts and smiled. "Hey." She noticed Callie was still in the same outfit as when they came in. "No surgeries?"

"Not today. And I'm not on-call for the pit, so no scrubs today."

Erica looked down at her own dark blue attending scrubs. "Lucky." Callie stood at the door, looking off into the corner of the room. Erica followed her line of sight and saw nothing. Callie had something on her mind. She scooted over on the couch and patted the spot next to her. "Come sit."

Callie pushed herself away from the door and sat down next to Erica, putting her head on the older woman's shoulder.

"What's going on?"

"I lied."

"About?"

Callie took the envelope out of her jacket, handing it over to Erica. "I want to know the sex of the baby."

Erica took the envelope. "Are you sure?"

Callie took a deep breath. "Yes."

Erica turned the envelope over in her hands, but didn't open it.

"Erica?" Callie put her hand on Erica's arm.

"Why don't you read it?"

Callie blushed. "Cause I want you to tell me."

Erica smiled. "I'll tell you what. You're on later than I am today, so when I get off I'll go home and make us dinner and then we'll open the envelope."

Callie smiled and kissed Erica.

* * *

The best thing Erica loved about Callie's pregnancy, besides her pseudo-charged sex drive, was that she got to experiment cooking a bunch of different things for them. Callie wasn't the healthiest eater, so it was a challenge, but she loved finding new ways to combine both healthy foods with a bit of sweetness so Callie would actually eat it. For this dinner she had prepared an apricot and brown sugar salmon with a fruit salad and citrus-mint dressing. That way Callie got fish, which was healthy, but some brown sugar for her sugar cravings, and the fruit salad was healthy and had that strawberries Callie needed.

When Callie walked into the house, the lights were dimmed down low and there were candles on the dining room table with the envelope right in the middle.

"Callie." Erica came down the stairs, putting on a pair of earrings. "I didn't expect you for another forty-five minutes."

"You got someone here you don't want me knowing about?" She tried to look serious, but Mocha came rushing down the stars behind Erica and nearly tumbled down the last few steps. "Well hello to you too." She picked the small dog up and leaned over to Erica for a kiss.

"I'm glad you're early. That envelope has been eating away at me."

"You didn't read it yet?"

"No. I thought we should read it together."

Callie smiled and leaned over for another kiss. "I love you."

Erica placed the dog on the floor and deepened the kiss. "I love you to." She took Callie's bag and placed it on the stair railing. "Now go upstairs and change. Dinner will be ready in about fifteen minutes." She couldn't resist tapping Callie's behind as she went up the stairs.

True to her work, dinner was ready and on the table when Callie came back downstairs fifteen minutes later. "Smells amazing."

"I sure hope so."

Callie sat down and breathed in the sweet aromas, her eyes coming to stop at the envelope in the center of the table. "This is killing me."

"After dessert."

"Now you do mean dessert, right? Not dessert dessert?"

Erica raised her eyebrows and shook her head, picking up her fork.

After they had finished the main course, Erica brought over an amazing looking red velvet cheesecake. Before she even had it down on the table, Callie had snatched it away from her and placed it on the table, taking Erica in her arms and kissing the very breath right out of her. "I know I just said it, but I love you."

The cheesecake had been amazing, and good thing Erica had made a small one of they both would have gained about fifteen pounds. Callie rubbed her belly. "The baby liked it. I think it might be addicted." She laughed and then felt something, a dull little twitch on her right side. "Erica, come here."

Erica was out of her seat immediately. "Are you okay?"

She took Erica's hand and guided it to her belly. "The baby's kicking."

Erica cried. The tears flowed down her cheeks and she cried. Callie did too. She looked up at Erica and smiled.

Erica looked back. "You ready?"

Callie nodded eagerly.

Erica stood up and grabbed the blue envelope off the table. Carefully she unsealed the tape and slowly removed the paper inside. She smiled instantly, and kneeled down in front of Callie, placing her hand over the one of Callie's that was resting on her belly. With the other she slowly turned the envelope and paper around so Callie could see. "It's a girl."


	18. Complete

Anther chapter rated 'M' not for little eyes.

And I don't own Rachel Green, she belongs to David Crane & Marta Kauffman

I also expect more reviews than I got last time...

* * *

Addison wiped the gel off of Callie's quite enlarged six-month pregnant belly and handed the newest sonogram pictures over to the couple. "Thought of any names yet?"

"Of course we have." Callie answered, handing the pictures to Erica.

"You're not going to tell me, are you?"

"Of course we're not." Erica replied not looking up from the pictures.

Addison smiled and updated Callie's chart. "About the shower-"

"Really Addison? Must we?" Callie interrupted.

"Yes Dr. Torres, we must." She answered, in the most official voice she could muster. "This is your baby - your first baby. It's tradition. A miracle like this should be celebrated."

Callie raised her eyebrows and pushed herself up onto her elbows. "Celebrated with who?"

"She's got a point there." Erica said.

Callie feigned hurt. "I have friends."

Erica patted her knee. "I know you do." Addison laughed.

"Anyway," The redhead began. "You are having a shower and I am inviting most of the people here. Shove it in their faces if it makes you feel better."

"Thank-you." Finally, Erica had someone was following her thought process.

Addison nodded. "It's happening."

* * *

Erica was in surgery, so Addison was more than happy to fill in as Callie's lunch buddy. "Have you told people the sex yet?"

"No."

"Are you going to?"

"Possibly."

"It would make the shower a lot easier if people knew what gender they were shopping for."

"Addison, give it a rest."

"Fine, Erica and I will organize it."

"Oh God." Callie sighed.

"How's Mocha doing?" Addison began, changing the subject. "She like it up on Peds?"

"Yeah, she's doing pretty well." So they wouldn't have to leave the young puppy alone Erica and Callie had made her the newest resident dog up on the Pediatric floor. And she had been doing very well. Everyday they'd drop her off as they went to work and then whoever got off first would pick her up. The kids loved her, and she loved the kids too. A little nipping, but nothing vicious. Just typical puppy teething stuff in which some sour apple spray had quickly taken care of.

She had her few favorites too, in which she would curl up and fall asleep next to. There were pictures to prove it. The kids would be disappointed when Callie went on her maternity leave and kept Mocha home with her.

Addison nodded. "Good. Good good." Callie looked at her with an eyebrow raised. You could see the wheels turning in the surgeon's head.

* * *

Addison was waiting outside the scrub room for Erica and cornered her as soon as she scrubbed out. "Addison! Don't do that. Give me a warning or something."

Addison walked with Erica around the corner, and made sure no one was around. "We on for Saturday?"

Erica looked around and nodded. "Yeah."

"Does she have any idea?"

"None. It helps that you keep trying to get her to plan though. Keeps her thinking we haven't been planning it for the past month." They both laughed and then went their separate ways. Callie was in for one heck of a surprise.

* * *

Callie and Erica were both done early Friday night and high-tailed it home. Callie was a very sexual person by nature and liked to have sex…a lot of sex…a lot of the time, but her pregnancy had really revved up her engines. It had increased a lot during the second trimester, but now enterring the third Erica was lucky if she got a few hours of sleep a night. They had sex at LEAST twice a day, if not more. It was as if nothing could satisfy Callie. Well that wasn't true. She could be satisfied, but needed to be satisfied four or five times in a row. To quote Rachel Green, she was constantly "Erotically charged."

It was a bit difficult because the baby was taking up so much room inside of Callie that her lung capacity wasn't what it used to be and her propensity for screaming made the baby kick, hard, but they had learned to accommodate these changes rather quickly. Most of the time Callie was on her back, it was easier this way and she could be propped up on a couple of pillows allowing her to breathe easier, and right as she was about to climax Erica would bring her lips up to Callie's and muffle her screams, so as not to scare the baby.

The couple hadn't even made it in the door by the time Callie had Erica pinned up against the wall.

"You know, Callie." Erica began in between assaults on her lips…not that she was complaining. "Didn't Addison . . . say something . . . about . . . slowing down in . . . the . . . third . . . trimester?"

Callie pinned Erica's hands above her head and pulled away. "Me slow down? What are you kidding?" And just like that she showed Erica how she was really far from slowing down.

The bedroom was upstairs, so that was out of the question. The couch was a lot closer and they had just recently bought a larger one, so it was looking pretty appealing. Erica took the lead, realizing for the first time that she needed Callie as much as Callie needed her. She needed her sex and that look on her face as she came and all the pleasure Erica got from making Callie's body do what only she could make it do.

She somehow managed to lower Callie down onto the couch. It was getting increasingly difficult with each week that went by and every inch added to Callie's waistline, but she wouldn't trade it for the world. But tonight, Callie had other ideas. With amazing speed for someone in her condition, she had Erica under her and down to her bra and underwear in record speed. Erica returned the favor and soon there was only thin fabric separating the two.

Callie purred at every touch. It was true, pregnant woman had super powers. Super powers of electricity and heightened sensitivity. All Erica had to do was run her fingers lightly over the moist fabric between Callie's legs and she practically got off then and there. But tonight was not about her.

She brought her mouth to Erica's ear. "As much as I crave having you touch me, don't." She whispered as she gently nibbled on the blonde's earlobe.

Erica was about to protest, but Callie silenced her with one of her kiss-me-senseless kisses and it took Erica a minute to remember her own name. "Tonight I need to see you." She brought a hand up to stroke the side of Erica's face, knowing exactly the effect it had on her. "Tonight I need to see what I can do to you." She brought her other hand down and began using her thumb to trace circles on Erica's inner thigh. "I need to make you come. . . I need to hear you scream my name as I do things to you that would make Hugh Hefner look away."

Erica's breath became ragged and her breathing was…well…

Callie moved her hand from Erica's cheek and placed it above her heart. "Erica," She laughed. "Eri Baby you need to breathe. In and out, in and out." The innuendo did nothing to help Erica's state.

Callie brought her knee up every so slowly and then thrust it right at the apex of Erica's legs, causing the older woman to jump at the contact. Callie looked down at Erica as she moved her knee in circular motions. She could feel Erica's wetness against her knee; feel the heat radiating from within the mass of blonde curls. Erica's skin was already flushed and a thin layer of sweat was breaking out against her porcelain skin. She stopped for a minute, forcing Erica to open her eyes and look at her. Without a second thought she brought her mouth back down to Erica's and transported her own breath to Erica. For a quick moment, she was the life within Erica. For a quick moment, she was the air she breathed. For a quick moment, time stood still and a quick moment became minutes. Minutes they laid there, entangled on the couch just kissing.

Soon though Erica unconsciously began grinding her hips against Callie's knee, reminding the darker woman that she had something to finish. She made her way down painfully slowly. Erica wasn't one to make a lot of noise during sex, especially during foreplay, but tonight Callie found herself gaining wetness as she heard the cries coming from Erica, and heard her name being whispered on the other woman's lips. It was a powerful thing knowing that one person could do that to another. And Callie loved it.

But what she loved more, was hearing Erica cry out her name as wave after wave of her orgasm hit. An orgasm that Callie had caused. She removed her knee and with her mouth removed Erica's underwear and then gently began to suck on her clit. Softly at first, then with added pressure as Erica got closer.

"God Callie."

Callie smiled against Erica and laughed softly, sending an amazing sensation through the blonde's body. As she laughed, she opened her mouth and plunged her tongue as deep into Erica as she could get it, using her nose to nudge Erica's swollen and throbbing clit.

"Cal"

Callie breathed through her mouth, sending shockwaves. Erica's breathing increased, as did the sounds she was making. She tasted Erica and felt as her walls tensed and released around her tongue. She had a feeling she was going to get off before she had the opportunity to get Erica there.

Without notice, Erica reached down and brought Callie back up to her, their tongues once again in a fight for dominance. As if they were moving as one being both brought their hands down to the other's sex and plunged their fingers deep through masses of soft curls into the warm, wet wonderland that was the very core of their beings.

What happened next was more incredible than anything either had ever experienced. With two, then three fingers they worked in sync, sliding their fingers in and out of the wetness and warmth gaining speed with each stroke. In less time than it takes to start a car, the walls around Callie and Erica's fingers tensed and they both came together. This orgasm was strong and powerful and they rode out the waves of their simultaneous orgasms until neither woman had an ounce of strength left in their bodies. After a few minutes they collapsed onto the couch, fully fulfilled and with a new found love for each other than either had even been aware existed. And both women knew what it was like to be complete.


	19. Suprise!

GASP 2 posts in a weekend...I suppose I'm feeling generous  
Bit of a longer chapter, but its worth it - I promise

Village Voice

* * *

Erica was up the next morning at 9:30 sharp to let Addison in.

"She sleeping?" Addison asked.

Erica nodded as she yawned and grabbed the orange juice out of the fridge.

"Wore yourselves out last night, huh?"

Erica continued her yawning and poured two glasses of orange juice. "Okay, so" She yawned again.

"How many times did you two have sex last night?"

"Just once." After finishing her yawn she continued with what she was trying to say. "I'm going to wake Callie up and then take her to the studio." She and Callie had begun going to a photographer who specialized in maternity shots pretty much the second Callie started showing. They had gone for the first pictures when she was five months pregnant and now was the time for their six month shots. And they got to bring the puppy with them this time too. "We have the sitting from 10:45 to 11:30. Is that enough time?"

Addison looked up and nodded. "That's fine. I have reinforcements coming once you guys leave."

Erica got a worried look on her face. "Who?"

"I'm not supposed to tell you."

"And why not?"

"Because you would probably kick them out of your house."

"If you say anything including the names 'Izzie' or 'Stevens,' I'll kick _you _out of my house."

Addison closed her mouth.

"Addison Montgomery!" Erica raised her voice, while still being quiet enough so that Callie wouldn't hear her upstairs in the bedroom where they had moved to at about 3am.

"I didn't say anything."

"You invited Stevens? Do you not remember that she treated Callie like shit for a good year?"

"Of course I do, but Erica she wants to tell Callie she's sorry. And Callie has been avoiding her at all costs. She figured this would be a good way to show her. She knows what Callie's going through."

"How could she possibly know?" Erica asked. Then it dawned on her. "Stevens has a kid?"

"I didn't tell you that."

"Of course not."

"She has a daughter, Hannah. She's about twelve now. She had her when she was 16 and gave her up for adoption. I guess in a way this made her realize that she and Callie may be more alike than she ever cared to admit. Hopefully it made her realize that acting like a five-year-old bully wasn't all that good for making friends seeing as their numbers seem to be dwindling.

Erica laughed and then all of a sudden stopped. "Wait, you said 'them' . . . who else is coming?"

"Don't get mad."

"Starting off by saying that doesn't exactly instill my confidence in you Dr. Montgomery."

Addison took a step back. Erica could be quite scary when she wanted to be, which was a lot of the time, but mostly with … "Yang."

"Addison!"

"Look, they understand. Stevens had a kid, and Yang was pregnant, but had an ectopic pregnancy. Now I know she says she wasn't going to keep the baby, but it doesn't change the facts that she has an idea of the things Callie is going through" Erica gave her a look. "Pregnancy wise." Addison corrected. "And she's Callie's friend. She was there for Callie when no one else was, before you came into her life. When things with George first started falling apart."

Erica stood there for a minute, seeming to be thinking things over. After a minute she shook her head and grabbed the glasses of orange juice heading upstairs. "We'll be down at 10, make sure we can't see you."

* * *

They were showered, dressed and out of the house at 10 o'clock on the dot and Addison was nowhere to be found, and neither was her car Erica noticed as they pulled out of the driveway.

For this shoot, they had decided that Callie could wear the pink ¾ sleeve shirt that said _'It's A Girl.'_ For the previous shoot they had dressed up, but the shirt was appropriate as they had just found out the sex. She paired it with a white crinkle voile shirt and a pair of flats that were the same pink as the shirt with accents and the little bow in the darker pink of the _'It's a Girl.'_ Erica had also dressed more casual so that what she was wearing would go with what Callie was wearing. She was in a pair of white dress pants and a sleeveless empire top with a scalloped neckline in a pink color similar to the pink Callie was wearing, only a few shades darker. It was closer to the color of the lettering of Callie's shirt, but not quite. Even the color of Mocha's collar matched with its white, pink, dark pink and black plaid work.

They got to the photography studio just in time for their 10:30 appointment. Since the sun was shining, for once in Seattle, they had the shoot outside in the land around the studio. Their favorite was the one of them in front of an old, worn fence with Erica's hands around Callie resting on the top of her belly with Callie's hands above hers. But they would also have to get a copy of the one with them in the field with Callie and Erica sitting amongst the grass and flowers, Erica behind Callie and Callie holding Mocha up, laughing as the puppy licked her face from above and Erica leaning around, looking over at the pair laughing herself.

* * *

Callie slept on the short drive back, which was just as well b/c she missed all the cars around the house and Erica texting Addison when they pulled into the driveway. Erica waited for Addison's text back and within a few short minutes the redhead confirmed that they were ready and Erica woke Callie up.

She reached over and stroked Callie's hair. "Baby we're here."

Callie squinted at the harsh light. "What's that foreign object in the sky?" She stretched and attempted to look around, but Erica brought her into a kiss to prevent her from looking around and seeing all the cars littering the road around her house.

"What was that for?"

Erica gave her another gentle kiss. "For being you."

"Aw, Erica Hahn all sentimental? If Christina Yang could see you now."

Erica rolled her eyes and hopped out of the car, quickly making her way around the front of the car to open the door for Callie. Callie took her hand. "And a gentle…woman." She paused a minute, that didn't sound right. She shrugged. "Who would have thought?" It wasn't too hard for Erica to steer Callie up the walkway and to the front door without seeing anything. She just walked on Callie's left to block the cars from her view and kept her hand firmly around her waist.

She stayed that way through the foyer of the house and to the kitchen. Everyone was on the left, in the den, but with the double glass doors to the den closed and the lights off, they were barely noticeable. Once in the kitchen Erica got a glass of water for Callie and told her to wait for a minute while she went into the garage to get something. She came out with a large bouquet of white roses and pink baby's breath.

Tears immediately came to Callie's eyes when Erica walked in with the bouquet. "Erica. They're gorgeous."

Erica handed over the flowers and Callie leaned over to give her a kiss before sticking her nose deep into the middle of the flowers, inhaling their scent. "How many are there?"

"24. One for each week you've been pregnant."

Callie's lips pulled into a frown as she began to full-on cry.

"Oh Baby, I didn't mean to make you cry."

Callie shook her head. "It's not you, it's the hormones." Erica had to stop herself from laughing. Callie took a calming breath and leaned over for a kiss, which Erica easily gave into. "I love them. Thank-you." Another kiss for the road and Erica took the flowers and set them on the island Callie was sitting at. She held her hand out for Callie. "Let's go watch a movie."

Callie slid off the stool and took Erica's hand and let herself be led toward the den. She was not expecting what happened when Erica opened one of the doors.

The lights were immediately flickered on and all she could hear was "SURPRISE!" coming from every inch of the room. It took Callie a minute to adjust to the massive assault of people, but once she did she smiled sweetly and squeezed Erica's hand that she was still holding and pulled her closer. "I'm gonna kill you."

The whole room had been decked out in yellow and purple with flowers and butterflies as its theme. They had moved a low table into the middle of the room and in the center of it was a four tier baby diaper cake with gerbera daisies, embellished with white/yellow polka dot grosgrain ribbon, and with a porcelain baby block on the very top. There were balloons in the corners, tied to the doorknobs and all over the room. Balloons that said "It's a Girl" on foil footprint-shaped balloons, and heart-shaped balloons and circular balloons. And regular purple and yellow balloons were thrown into the mix too.

There were candles on the windowsills. In the large window facing the front yard were two candles in frosted glass holders with little brown bears riding little white rocking horses with a pink resin base. Then on one of the windows on the side were tea light candles in pink resin baby bottle design holders accented with pink crystals and is attached to a round base holder, and on the final window were little baby bottle candles with pink nipples and little pink bears and bows around the bottle part.

Looks like everyone knew it was a girl.

Callie reached down and picked an invitation off of the table. It was against a purple backdrop with darker flowers and some butterflies floating around, and in the middle was a very pregnant woman with a black dress, heels and a hat with dark brown, almost black hair. Over her it read,

_"Celebrating the soon to be Mommies…  
A Baby Shower in Honor of  
Callie Torres & Erica Hahn_

_Saturday, December 12th, 2008  
12:00pm  
The Hahn/Torres Residence  
184 Ruthlyn Ave.  
Seattle, WA_

_Hosted by Addison Montgomery  
(Baby-to-Be's Godmother)"_

She sent Addison a death glare….so not the Godmother anymore.

* * *

Callie didn't like surprises, and this was no different, but after about 5 minutes of trying to stay mad at her so-called "Girlfriend" and "Best friend" she had gotten over herself and relaxed and enjoyed her shower. Most of the people there she was actually surprised to find she liked. Dr. Bailey was there, as was Chief Webber and Christina, some of the nurses who routinely scrubbed in with her, a few doctors she knew from around the hospital, George was even there…which was kind of awkward. Then she noticed _her_. And of course, she was walking towards Callie.

Erica placed a hand on Callie's knee. "Be nice, she helped Addison set this whole thing up. If I have to put up with Yang being here, you need to put-up with Stevens." She smiled to Izzie and pushed herself up off the couch, giving the two women some time alone.

"Callie."

Callie simply looked up at the other woman.

"I deserve that. Can I sit?"

Callie continued staring at Izzie as she sat down next to her on the sofa. "Look Callie, I want to apologize. I don't know what got into me."

"Apparently my then-husband."

Izzie took a breath, refusing to let Callie bate her. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry I slept with George and I'm sorry I hated you and called you a freak and said all those mean and hurtful things." She looked over and met Callie's eyes and Callie could see absolute sincerity. "I'm sorry."

"You did get rewarded with lousy sex with George." She laughed. "Why all of a sudden the change of heart?

"I know what it's like to be in your shoes." Callie looked at her skeptically. "Okay, so not _exactly_ your shoes, but . . . I know what it's like to be pregnant and scared." Callie looked down and rubbed her belly. "It's amazing, huh? Feeling this tiny life inside of you?"

Callie smiled. "Yeah, it is." She looked up at Izzie. "Wanna feel her kick?"

Izzie nodded and Callie took her hand, placing it where the baby was kicking. "Wow. She's a strong little one."

"You're telling me. One of these days I'm going to have to set my own ribs."

"No kidding. When I was pregnant, she used to kick non-stop, somersaults were her favorite. I was lucky if I could two hours of peace at a time."

Erica looked over at the pair, seemingly getting along as Addison walked over. "See, no World War III."

Erica nodded. Addison walked away and she heard someone clear her throat from behind her. Then she heard it again. She turned around and saw Christina standing behind her. As soon as Erica acknowledged her, Christina walked up beside Erica.

"I guess I should call you Christina since we're not at work and I'm in a rather good mood."

"Whatever you're comfortable with Dr. Hahn."

Erica stood up straighter. As long as Christina knew she was still boss. "I want to um…thank-you, for your help. This place looks great and it really means a lot to Callie – To us." She corrected. Christina couldn't even say anything she was so excited. Erica Hahn, the Dr. Erica Hahn had actually thanked her for something and acknowledged she was good at something and useful in some way. She walked away smiling like a schoolgirl with a crush, causing Erica to shake her head and laugh. Maybe she'd give the girl a chance after all.

They had actually gotten a lot of cute things for the baby, some cute dresses and little outfits, and the staples like pacifiers and bottles and toys. Lots of gift cards cause people had no idea what you got the little girl of an orthopedic surgeon and world renowned cardiothoracic surgeon.

Addison had gotten then a carrier and stroller set. The set itself was brown, with the fabric being mostly pink with brown and purple stripes and a matching high chair. It was adorable, Callie loved it immediately. The chief had even gotten her a play yard in the exact color pattern and Dr. Bailey a swing with adorable brown bears in tutus.

Christina had given her a brown & white cow that was a sleep positioned for the baby, and George had given her a beautiful porcelain ballerina pig piggybank. Much to her surprise, though, she actually really liked Izzie's gift. It was a diaper bag, Stork Sak Studded Ivory Mia 

Diaper Bag which was like majorly expensive. It was beautiful, a creamy ivory coloring with gold designs and gold studding on the shoulder strap.

But what she had liked the most was what Erica gave the baby. True, it was both their shower, but if Callie had known about it she would have brought something too. It was a bedding set. They hadn't even discussed the baby's room yet, but somehow Erica knew exactly what Callie would have picked out herself. It actually matched the theme of the party. For welcoming any baby girl in style, the set consisted of trendy colors of purple, lavender, cocoa and cream blended together in a contemporary patchwork of daisies, butterflies and dots. Warm chocolate velor, soft seersucker and a silky pleated trim customized this unique collection. It also came with a tiered window valance and dust ruffle, cameo style wall border, lamp and night light with cut out shade along with a custom flower shaped pillow, daisy clothing pegs, and flower & butterfly musical mobile.

She turned and enveloped Erica in a tight hug, so tight that Erica could feel the baby kicking through Callie's belly.

The rest of the afternoon was spent eating - there were adorable cookies shaped like flowers and butterflies and even a few dragonflies, drinking – nothing but pink and yellow lemonade, and talking. It was a lot of fun, contrary to Callie's bad attitude about the shower. Everyone had a lot of fun, and in the end the guests got to leave with favor boxes filled with a little pink bootie candles, a pink strawberry scented bath fizzer, a butterfly shaped soap and chocolate bars that had the purple with flowers back-drop and the pregnant woman in the black dress and read,

_"Celebrating  
The Mommies-to-Be  
Callie & Erica's Baby Shower  
December 12th"_

Then on the back it said,

_"Nutrition Facts  
Serving Size: Eating for 2  
Calories: Who's Counting  
Total Fat: More to Love  
Total Carbs: Spoil Yourself  
Fiber: Every little bit helps  
Sugar: Sweet as can be!  
Vitamins C, R, A, V, I, N, G. 100percent of the time_

_Ingredients: The sweetest baby the world's ever had!"_

Erica, Izzie and Christina had stayed behind to help Erica and Callie move all the gifts upstairs and into the baby's room and instructed the Mommies-to-be to sit down as they cleaned up all the wrapping paper, plates, cups and mess from the shower.

Erica moved to get up when the doorbell rang, but Addison beat her to it. She came back with a weird/slightly apologetic look on her face. A few seconds later Mark walked in behind her and Callie and Erica's hearts both sank.


	20. Please Don't Take This Baby

A short little chapter because the past few have been pretty long  
Thanks for sticking in there with me

Village Voice

* * *

Erica swallowed the lump in her throat and instinctively reached over and entwined her fingers with Callie's, Callie having the same idea. She bowed her head and prayed to God. _'Please don't let him take this baby.'_

Addison left them alone and went into the kitchen to help Izzie and Christina finish cleaning up.

Callie cleared her throat. "Mark?"

"Sorry to just drop by like this, but I didn't want to crash the party. I heard there were only two guys."

Callie laughed, but it was a nervous, uncomfortable laugh and Mark knew it.

"I found one of the invitations in the doctor's lounge the other day. I'm sorry if it was inappropriate for me to show up, but I wanted to give you this." He produced a rectangular box from behind his back, wrapped in blue paper with little yellow duckies on it.

Callie smiled and took the gift. "Thanks Mark, that was really sweet."

"I heard you're having a girl."

Erica nodded. "Yes, we are." She felt the need to once again establish that this was her and Callie's baby.

Mark noted the comment. "I saw it and thought you two would like it, for your baby."

Callie carefully unwrapped the paper and uncovered the white box within. Inside was a tiny little baby dress. For a newborn up to three months, it was the cutest thing Callie or Erica had ever seen. It was a blue lap shoulder dress, with the top part being just blue with a daisy in the center and the rest of it blue with little pink flowers. It even had a matching blue diaper cover and white elastic headband with a matching daisy.

With help from Erica, Callie managed to hoist herself up off of the sofa and gave Mark a hug. "Thanks Mark. It's adorable."

"No problem. . . Look, this doesn't mean I want to be in her life or anything-"

"Mark," Erica interrupted, immediately stopping him with the use of his first name and even confusing herself for a minute. Once the initial panic of _'Holy shit he's going to take this baby away from me'_ wore off, Erica was able to become her level headed self again. "Callie and I were talking and you absolutely should be in this little girl's life. Not as her father, but still in her life."

"We wanted to ask you" Callie took over. "If you would like to be her godfather?"

There was silence for a moment. "I'll be the best damn godfather any kid ever had."

Callie took Erica's hand again and they both breathed a sigh of relief. This was still their baby.


	21. Taking The Next Step

My dear and loyal fans, I am so very sorry that I have not posted in a while. But there was a problem with my story and everything I had for it was deleted. I am working my way to getting it back to where ut was, but it's taking a while.

Hope this is good for now.

Just a question, anyone else think the last scene between Callie and Erica last night was funny and slightly uncomfortable? I miss how close and akward-free things used to be for them

Village Voice

* * *

"Callie push…and one

…two

…three

…four

…five

….six

….seven

….eight

….nine

…..Ten!" Erica relaxed against the wall and wiped Callie's forehead. "Good job Baby." She added, with a kiss to the area she had just wiped dry.

Callie leaned her head back against Erica's chest.

"All right, good work Mommies." The coach said as she meandered around the room and helped a few couples out. Birthing class had been Callie's idea. The truth was, Izzie was right. She was scared. Not about becoming a mother or being totally responsible for this tiny human being currently growing inside of her, but of the birth itself. Of the pain and the damage to her feminine area. Erica liked it down there, and she wasn't so sure that she would afterwards, despite Erica's constant reassurances.

It was a two hour drive two times a week, but they had found a birthing class for same-sex parents. There had been a gay couple when they first started, but their surrogate had gone into early labor and they hadn't heard from them since. So for now it was all women all the time. That many women with raging hormones kind of made Callie want hang herself, but then she realized that she was with the most beautiful woman in the room and started looking forward to going to class and showing Erica off.

However, today was a little different. Everyone had shared the stories of how they got together and how their baby, or babies in the case of one couple, had been conceived…all but Callie and Erica. So today was their day, and Callie didn't know exactly how to phrase it.

Callie had hoped that maybe the coach would let them have a pass, but when she turned to them and looked straight at Callie she knew that wasn't going to happen.

"Doctors" She addressed the pair. "I believe today is your turn to speak."

Callie turned to Erica. "What is this, an AA meeting?" She whispered. Erica chuckled to herself and helped her girlfriend stand up.

Callie wasn't usually nervous when speaking in front of groups, but this was different. There were four other couples, bringing the total number to eight, not including herself and Erica, and five babies, not including hers and Erica's. Erica reached up and gave Callie's hand a reassuring squeeze.

"Hi, I'm Callie and this is Erica. Um…we met at Seattle Grace, it's the hospital we both work at in Seattle. I am an orthopedic surgeon and Erica is a cardiothoracic surgeon-"

"Wait," One of the women interrupted. Miranda, if Callie remembered right. "Dr. Hahn. You're Dr. Erica Hahn."

Erica nodded. "Last time I checked."

"I knew you looked familiar. You operated on my cousin a few months ago."

Erica got worried. "Did I do a good job?"

"Amazing. It's like he's a whole new person. You saved his life."

Erica never got tired of hearing how amazing she was, and this was no different. But as she opened her mouth to speak Callie shot her a death glare so she quickly shut it. "Sorry." She whispered.

Callie continued with their story. "Anyway, we met at the hospital when Erica came in to replace our previous attending cardiothoracic surgeon. At the time I was going through a divorce from my husband." If anyone was surprised to hear this, they didn't show it. "And she was there for me. It was there from the beginning, just neither of us wanted to admit it. See, in this hospital it's hard to make friends, and even harder to keep them. We'd flirt and stand a little too close to each other sometimes, let our hands linger on each other for a few seconds too long…

"Then one day a friend of mine came up for a visit. She had worked at the hospital, but left for another job in California a few months earlier. We had lunch and she asked me if I was speaking the Vagina Monologues." The room laughed, but Callie's face fell. "And that was when I realized I had feelings for Erica." She looked down at the fair woman and smiled. "But I didn't want to admit it, so I started sleeping with the head of plastics who had been trying to get into my pants for months, and Erica's too for that matter.

"It got to the point where I couldn't take it anymore, all the lying and the hiding, and especially staying away from Erica…it was too hard. So, I kissed her outside the hospital and we became a couple. Two months later I found out I was pregnant with the guy I had been trying to prove my heterosexuality with's baby. Erica was great. She told me from the beginning that she would be there for me, that we would raise the baby together.

"We told the father, there were legalities to deal with. He was the baby's father, so whatever involvement he wanted to have with the baby, he was entitled to it. At first I was livid with him. He basically said he wanted nothing to do with the baby…he had a life, he had plans. Never mind that I did. But then Erica turned to me and said, _'He just gave us our baby'_ and since then she has been. She's our little girl."

Callie sat back down and the room erupted with applause. Erica took Callie's hand and kissed her. "I love you."

* * *

They had lunch at a nearby Italian restaurant. It was Erica's favorite. They had been there a few times, usually after birthing class, as Erica found it ridiculous to drive two hours to a restaurant when there were plenty adequate enough within a twenty minute drive. Even though it was her favorite.

But today was special. Today, Callie wanted to show Erica just what she really meant to her. It was time to take the Next step.


	22. Forever

After lunch, they walked along the river a few blocks from the restaurant.

A few steps in Erica stopped and turned to Callie. "You're amazing. Have I told you that lately?"

Callie looked around pretending to think. "Not for a long time." Then she brought her hands to her swollen belly. "And I am growing your baby, so I think it's a little overdue."

Erica leaned in and kissed Callie among all the people. "You're an amazing woman Callie Torres."

Callie took Erica's hand and led her to a nearby bench. They sat down, Callie snug within Erica's arms and watched the activity on the river.

"Erica, I have something I've been meaning to ask you."

"Have you told your parents?"

"Uh…" Callie tried to get her mind to switch gears. The few minutes they had been sitting there she had been trying to muster up some courage. "About what?" She asked.

Erica scoffed. "About us, the baby, your divorce?"

"Quite the list."

"Were you just planning to start sending school pictures in six years?"

Callie withdrew herself from Erica's embrace and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Erica, baby, love of my life … I have something I really need to ask you."

But there was no buttering Erica Hahn up. "And we really need to talk about this."

"We will, but right now-"

"Do you want them to have any involvement in the baby's life? Our lives?"

"Erica…"

"I'm just saying. I grew up with my grandparents, so I know how important they are in a child's-"

"I'm trying to ask you to marry me here."

"-life. . . . . . What?"

Callie laughed at the expression on Erica's face. It was somewhere between 'WTF' and 'uh…' and 'HOLY SHIT.' Callie took Erica's hands and turned so she was fully facing the blonde. "Never in a million years would I have ever imagined I'd be here right now. With you, Erica Hahn - world renowned cardiothoracic God, my best friend…and a woman. Carrying a child, man whore Mark Sloan's child, whom he abandoned, and planning on raising this child with you. . . And happier than I have ever been in my life." She reached up and wiped a slow traveling tear from Erica's pale cheek, letting her hand linger. "I love you so much. I don't think that there is even a definition for the kind of love I feel. I . . . I never imagined that this would be my life, and I'm glad I didn't because if I did I would have spent my whole life sitting in that hospital waiting for you to show up.

"I hate going to sleep at night. I can't help but feel like it's all a dream – an amazing dream that this world is just showing me to let me know true love doesn't exist, soul mates don't exist. But they do Erica. Some people spend their whole lives trying to find their other halves and some never do." She smiled up at Erica, pure love showing through her eyes. "But I did Erica. I found you. Every morning when I wake up and see you lying next I am reminded that it is real, _this_ is real. We are real, together, about to make ourselves a family. You make me who I want to be. You make my life complete – our life." She wiped a tear from her own eye and pulled something out of her purse.

"Call me insecure, but I want to make this real, well…permanent. I know we've already talked about forever." She showed Erica the box and opened it, revealing two 18 karat white gold bands. Both bands had five stones, three diamonds and one had two cherry amber stones and the other sapphires, alternating in a diamond-stone-diamond-stone-diamond pattern. The rest of the bands had smaller diamonds in the band scattered like stars in the night sky. They were beautiful. Before Erica could say anything, Callie took the band with the cherry amber stones and slid it onto Erica's left ring finger. "But now I'm offering forever - promising forever."

Erica looked through tear-filled eyes at the ring on her hand. Forever.


	23. She Said

I felt the need for some pure and simple fluff and here is the product.  
I know these last few chapters have been shorter, so I am in the process of writing some longer ones!

So there's been a great lack of reviews. If you guys want more, prove it

Village Voice

* * *

Erica was speechless. She looked down at the ring on her finger to Callie and back to the ring several times trying to find words, something to say. The amber of the stones matched perfectly the brilliant dark reddish flecks in Callie's eyes that sparkled whenever she was happy and made Erica go week at the knees. She let go of Callie's hand and took the other ring from the box. Sky blue, just like Erica's eyes. Callie had really thought about this. Not about them being together, or getting married, but about the rings, the details. Erica always said it was the details that made things happen, it was the details that really meant something. For the rest of her life she would get to look at that ring and be reminded of Callie. For the rest of her life she would get to look at Callie.

That is, if she opened her mouth.

"Erica?"

She turned the other ring over in her hand. "Forever isn't long enough."

"What?"

"Forever isn't long enough. . ." A tear slid down Erica's pale cheek and she looked up. Smiling she slid the other ring onto Callie's finger. "To show you how much better you make my life . . . just by being you."

The ring was on for just a second, but Callie knew that in that moment their life together had began. This would be the anniversary they celebrated for years to come. This would be the date they would tell their daughter of when she was old enough to ask. This would be the date they would celebrate their anniversary on – 1 year, 5 years, 10 years, 25 years and if they were lucky enough, this would be the day they would celebrate their golden anniversary on. "Forever, a day, a year…it doesn't matter." She wiped a tear from just below Erica's cheekbone. All that matters is that we're together. As long as you let me, and as long as I'm able, I will be here."

Erica took Callie's hand and kissed the ring she had just put on, more tears flowing from both their eyes. "This isn't just the pregnancy hormones?"

Callie laughed. "It's not just the pregnancy hormones." She reached over and grabbed Erica's face, bringing their lips together and giving her a kiss worthy of an Oscar. After a few minutes they broke apart, having gained a small audience who started clapping when the two came up for air. Callie and Erica started laughing and brought their heads together.

"I love you."

Erica placed her hand on Callie's cheek and ran her thumb across the warm, tear-stained skin just as she had in the elevator all those months ago. "I love you back." With another kiss the crowd dispersed and the two were left alone.

"So," Callie began. "Just to be totally clear that was a 'yes' right?"

Erica smiled and wrapped her arms snugly around the younger woman. "That's a million times yes!"


	24. Without You

A little bit of a longer chapter to make up for the shorter ones and not having posted for a while. A few different scenes thrown in here, but they all occur within the same day, except for the first scene which is set the day before.

And of course, some pointless fluff. I just want to show Callie and Erica's life together how I think it should be. None of that pointless drama like every relationship on the show has. I am trying to show them as a normal couple, with their own love and issues and style, life and family. I haven't found many fics where this pairing just gets to be. There's always a problem or something, but that makes for good reading, so...watch out for who's in town.

As always, R & R  
Village Voice

I own nothing! Except for the spawn growing in Callie's uterus, she's mine and Mocha too.

* * *

They were working on the nursery. The furniture was set to arrive in a few weeks and with Christmas so close they figured the only time they would really have to work on it was this weekend. Erica was up on a ladder priming the higher parts of the wall and Callie was sitting on a chair they had brought into the room, taking a little break. They had taken their rings off as to not get them dirty, but Callie ran a finger along the area that looked so naked without it.

It was weird. She had lived her whole life, save for the whole George fiasco, without a ring there but now that she had gone a week with it there to not have it on just felt . . . weird. "Did you ever think how things would be different?" She asked, still looking down at her ring finger.

"How what would be different?"

"Us. You, me, our lives."

Erica brought the roller down and put it in the paint tray, giving Callie her undivided attention. "Different how?"

Callie looked up. "If we didn't have the baby." She looked back down. "If I'd never screwed around with Mark in the first place, never got pregnant."

Erica could see the tears brimming in Callie's eyes and came off the ladder and sat on the arm of Callie's chair. She wrapped her arms around the other woman and laid a gentle kiss on her head. "I'm not going to lie to you; things would be very, very different."

Callie sank into Erica's embrace. She always felt so safe when Erica's arms were around her. It was as if nothing could touch her.

"But different doesn't always mean better. If you hadn't screwed around with Sloan in the first place I might never have realized what I was losing, you might never have realized or actually admitted that you had feelings for me, and he may never have given you that little push you needed to tell me. Everything happens for a reason. There was a reason Addison told you she thought we were a couple and why that freaked you out so much. There's a reason you turned to him." She guided Callie's face up so she could look into her eyes. "There's a reason for this baby. And there's a reason why she was conceived our first night together."

"I just feel so robbed Erica. We had a few weeks together, a great few weeks, but a few weeks nonetheless before I got sick and then we realized I was pregnant."

"I know sweetie." Erica rubbed Callie's arm and kissed her head. "I know."

* * *

"Addison, is all this really normal?" Erica asked. "It's not like her."

"It is very normal." Addison began. "I think the gravity of everything is just hitting her now. She's realizing that in a few short months she will no longer be in control of her life - you two will no longer be in control of your lives. She's afraid that she missed that quality time with you two people usually have before starting a family."

"She called you didn't she?"

"Yes she did."

"I just" Erica sat down, trying to find the words. "I don't know what to do for her." She admitted.

Addison sat down next to Erica. "I think you're doing it. Callie's never had anyone who was just there for her, especially now since she's an "emotion junkie" as she described it, it means a lot to her."

"I love her."

"I know. She just feels guilty. She thinks all this is her fault. And she's heartbroken that you didn't get to be a couple for very long before adding the baby into the picture."

"Well it is." Erica joked. "Her fault. . . But I would never blame her for it."

"She knows that too, she's just . . ." Addison floundered, trying to find the words. "She's got pregnancy brain." The two just laughed.

"Is there anything I can do?" Erica asked once they stopped laughing.

Addison shook her head.

Erica nodded. "Fantastic." The two shared another laugh before heading back in opposite directions.

* * *

But that laughter and moment of happiness were short lived.

Having entered the ER at the same time neither Erica nor Addison were prepared for the scene before them. Addison, however, had the good sense to turn right around and get back on the elevator and flee the scene. Erica, on the other hand, was caught like a deer in the headlights.

"Calliope." An older man scolded. "Why did you not tell us?"

"How great it is that you and George are having a child." The woman he was with said.

_Crap._ Erica's eyes widened.

"Whoa, Mom, Dad, this isn't George's baby." Erica's eyes widened even more and Callie's mother looked like she was about to faint. "I'm not even married to George anymore." Callie's father helped the poor woman sit in a nearby chair before she ended up on the floor. "Haven't been for a while now."

"But Calliope," Her father began. "You are still wearing your ring."

Erica's hand unconsciously flew to the neckline of her her scrub top, where her ring was hanging on a chain under the top. She had just come out of surgery and hadn't yet put it back on her hand.

"This isn't the ring George gave me Dad."

"There's another man already?"  
"Calliope, what are you doing with your life?"

"There's no other man. I-" Callie looked around, desperately trying to find an out, but Erica was long gone by that point. Callie let out a long breath and sat down across from her parents. They continued to berate her with questions as she tried to figure some way out of this.

* * *

Later that night, after finally have gotten her parents off her back Callie waddled through the doorway of the home she shared with Erica.

Erica was at her side in an instant, wrapping her arms around the younger woman. "I am so sorry."

"You heard too?"

"I kind of saw, a little. . . Then I had to go do a consult."

"Yeah, you ran away." Callie laughed as she shrugged off her jacket and hung it by the door. "I don't blame you. I would have done the same thing."

"Did you know they were coming?"

"I had no idea."

"Did they give a reason for suddenly flying across the country?"

"They said they were in the area." Callie began, flopping down on the couch. "Although what they are doing 'in the area' and what they consider to be 'in the area' is another question entirely. And because I haven't spoken to them for a while they had to make sure I was still breathing."

"Oh how nice of them." Erica said, bringing two glasses in from the kitchen and sitting down next to Callie.

The younger woman took a sip and put the two glasses on the table, snuggling into Erica's embrace. "Yeah. More like Christmas is in a week, which reminds me, we need to get a tree."

"Mocha would love that. I can picture it being up for about 5 minutes before she comes barreling through it."

Callie shrugged. "Then you'll just pick it up again."

"Oh I will, will I?"

Callie nodded. "Where is she anyway?"

"Upstairs sleeping."

"Not in the baby's room? God help us if this kid is allergic to dogs."

"What did you tell your parents?" Erica asked, completely changing the subject.

"Nothing. I'm going to let them get used to the idea of everything before I tell them anything." She scooted down on the couch so that her head was now in Erica's lap. Erica automatically started running her fingers through Callie's dark locks. "But right now all I want is for us to spend some quality time together like we used to."

"Look Callie, I know that with everything-"

"Please Erica, not tonight. Please. We will talk, I promise, just please not tonight."

Erica saw the darker woman's eyes glossing up and decided to leave it at that. She brushed a hair from her love's face and leaned down gently touching their lips. "I love you. No matter what."

Callie smiled and pulled Erica down for another kiss. "I love you too."

Erica grabbed the remote off the arm of the couch and turned the TV on. "Just like old times, huh?"

'Just like old times' meant Rent. It was the movie they had watched the night after their infamous first kiss outside Seattle Grace. Ever since then it had held a special place in each of the women's hearts and they watched it whenever they wanted to relive that night. They laughed, they cried, they held each other close, but it was the scene when they sang 'Without You' that really got to them.

_"Without you, the ground thaws, the rain falls, the grass grows.  
Without you, the seeds root, the flowers bloom, the children play.  
The stars gleam, the poets dream, the eagles fly, without you.  
The earth turns, the sun burns, but I die, without you._

_Without you, the stars roar, the breeze warms, the girl smiles, the cloud moves.  
Without you, the tides change, the boys run, the oceans crash.  
The crowds roar, the days soar, the babies cry, without you.  
The moon glows, the river flows, but I die, without you._

_The world revives—  
Colors renew—_

_But I know blue, only blue, lonely blue, within me blue. Without you._

_Without you, the hand gropes, the ear hears, the pulse beats.  
Without you, the eyes gaze, the legs walk, the lungs breathe._

_The mind churns!  
The mind churns!_

_The heart yearns!  
The heart yearns!_

_The tears dry, without you.  
Life goes on, but I'm gone.  
Cause I die, without you._

_Without you._

_Without you._

_Without you."_

Without saying a word Callie reached over and took Erica's hand, entwining their fingers and laid a quick kiss on the paler hand before bringing their entwined hands to her cheek as a pillow. "I love you."

Erica leaned down and gave Callie a quick, but meaningful kiss. "I love you back."


	25. We Need To Talk

Little update here in honor of the episode that just aired. Anyone else love the scene with Mark, Callie and Erica and the way Callie was speaking up for Erica? So hilarious and cute! Also the last scene with CAllie and Erica. hehe. Made me laugh.

Sorry guys, but not every relationship can be all raindrops on roses and wiskers on kittens.  
Not even Callie and Erica's. . . Sadly

Okay, here's the thing. 69 people have this story on alert, so why is it I can't even seem to get 5 of you to write a review?

* * *

Callie hung up the phone and slowly turned to face Erica. "They want to come over."

"No."

"Come on Erica."

"No. Not until you tell them."

"Tell them what?"

Erica grabbed the leash off the counter and bent down to attach it to Mocha's collar. "Well let's see, how about that you live here with your girlfriend to start."

"Wouldn't you be more my fiancé now?"

"Okay, so not until you tell them that you live here with your fiancé, who just happens to be a woman." Leash in hand, Erica and Mocha headed toward the front door.

Callie knew Erica was right. "I can't tell them alone Erica."

Erica stood facing the door. "Mocha needs to go for a walk. We'll talk about this when I get back."

* * *

"So you just ran away from her?" Addison asked. Addison was staying at a hotel nearby and it was purely by coincidence that the two met as they were walking.

"I didn't just run away from her. Mocha needed to be walked."

Addison looked down at the large dog and gave her a quick pat on the head. Once a small puppy, Mocha was now fast approaching the size of a Golden Retriever and still had some growing to do before she was considered full grown. "Don't you two usually walk her together?"

"Yeah, okay we do. I just . . . I needed to clear my head. Callie uses sex, I choose other cardio aerobic activities."

Addison stopped walking. "Erica what's going on?"

Erica stopped a few steps ahead. "I lied."

"To me?"

"To Callie. I lied to Callie."

"About what?"

"I told her that I hadn't seen my parents since I left for school when I was eighteen and that's true, but there was a reason. I – I told my parents that I was interested in this girl who worked at the same camp I did that summer and they told me never to come home again.

"A few years later when I graduated med school and had a pretty serious boyfriend I'd been dating for the past few years they figured that I'd sufficiently grown out of that "phase" and tried to weasel their way back into my life, starting with the house as a way to 'break the ice.'"

"But you didn't let them back in." It was partly a question even though Addison already knew the answer.

"No I didn't. Not for a while anyway." They began walking again. "I never thought of another woman like that again for . . . years. Not until I came to this hospital where apparently rules don't matter, boundaries are nonexistent and gossip flows on the front page with everyone knowing everything before the people themselves know.

"But when I finally did agree to see them again it was too late. And I have to live with that for the rest of my life, but Callie. . . her family means a lot to her. I hardly knew my parents, but she would die if she had to go through what I did."

Addison grabbed Erica's hand and stopped the blonde woman. "Erica, she won't die. She has more now to live for than she ever has. She has you and the baby, a home to share with the two of you and a job she loves. Her parents means a lot to her, yes, and if they never want to see her again it will hurt her, but nothing like the pain she would experience being without you.

"So don't think that she's going to choose her parents over you because you are her family now. You and this baby are what she lives for and it's without you that she would die."

Erica completely broke down. Months of putting Callie, work and everything else first and herself last finally breaking this world famous cardiothoracic surgeon. Addison was able to catch her before she fell to the ground, but the two still ended up on the ground, albeit more gracefully. Addison slowly guided Erica to the ground, taking the leash as it fell to the ground and wrapping her arms tightly around the other woman.

"Shh . . . It's okay Erica. Everything's going to be okay."

After a good twenty minutes Erica had calmed down and was able to get her own two feet underneath herself and stand up with little assistance from Addison. "You need a vacation."

"Yeah." Erica laughed. She wiped the remaining tears away and took a deep breath. "I'll schedule that in in about eighteen years."

Addison put a comforting hand on Erica's back and started the two walking again. "That's if you only have one."

Erica sighed and leaned her head on Addison's shoulder.

Addison laughed and put her arm back around Erica. "Come on Mommy. Let's get you back to the other Mommy."

* * *

"Erica, it's been two and a half hours where the hell have you been?"

Not even in the door Erica was met with this onslaught. She closed the door behind her and released Mocha from the leash. "I took Mocha for a walk."

"Where could you have possibly taken her that you wouldn't want me to come too?"

"I told you I needed to clear my head."

Callie paused. "Is it clear now?"

"Yeah." Erica let out a long breath and looked up at Callie. "Callie we need to talk."


	26. First Impressions

Thanks for the reviews guys. I just basically wanted to see if anyone was actually reading this and if you like it.  
And we've made it over 200 reviews! Thanks so much. And for all you wonderful people I have written some pretty amazing chapters, if I do say so myself. lol. I hope you all enjoy!

And don't give me that stuff about not having enough time b/c I'm a college kid so I know how valuable time is. And if you have time to read the chapters, taking a few more seconds to review is quite possible :P

Anyways, I promised some people I'd post this after the next new Grey's episode, so here it is.I'm planning on posting another chapter after each new episode, so look for them after the show!

VillageVoice

* * *

They sat at the kitchen table; Erica on one side and Callie directly across from her. Domino had jumped up on Erica's lap, but other than giving Erica a little bit of support her being there did nothing.

"Erica we've been sitting here for five minutes. You're starting to scare me."

"I lied to you Callie."

Callie's face dropped into panicked expression. "About what?"

"It wasn't by choice that I hadn't talked to my parents since I left for college." Having already told Addison everything she had to tell Callie made it a lot easier the second time around. It took a bit longer to tell, but it was easier.

When Erica was through Callie sat there for a minute, waiting for this big, bad lie Erica was supposedly revealing. After a moment she realized she had; only it wasn't big and it wasn't bad. "That's it?" Callie asked in utter disbelief, bringing a hand to her heart. "You do that to me again..." She let out a deep breath and relaxed.

"What do you mean 'that's it?' I just told you my deepest secret. And I lied to you."

"Sweetie I would hardly call that lying. So you left a few things out about your past, who doesn't? I was home schooled until I was fourteen and raised by a series of nannies because my mother couldn't be bothered to take me to the park or spend an afternoon with me. Knowing that sheds a little more light on who I am as a person, but it doesn't change our relationship." She reached across the table and took Erica's hands in her own. "It doesn't change us."

"I know that, but-"

"I know it couldn't have been easy for you to re-open these old wounds and I appreciate you telling me, but my parents aren't yours."

"I know that-"

"I'm not saying they're not going to disown me, they very well may, or they may not. All I'm saying is that, yeah, they're my parents and I'll always love them, but they live across the country and if they decide they don't want to see me again I'm only missing a couple of flyer miles. I can survive that. But you . . ." Callie looked away from Erica and tried to blink away the tears, but it wasn't working. "If I had to live without you..."

By this time Erica was up and at Callie's side, surrounding the younger woman in her strong arms.

"_That_ I couldn't survive."

"Oh sweetie." The heart surgeon kissed her fiancé and kneeled down in front of her. "You won't ever have to. I'm sorry that I ran-"

"Erica you didn't run, you went for a walk to . . . to clear your head. If you have to do that every once in a while or every other day or even every day, do it. It's okay to take some time for yourself."

"Then why do I feel so guilty?" Erica asked, pulling a chair over.

"I don't know. But you don't need to."

"You're having a baby."

"_We're_ having a baby."

"_We_ are not physically having a baby."

"Okay, so when the baby's born you get to be the one getting up at night with her." Erica raised her eyebrows. Callie laughed. "Erica, you are doing so much. I feel like I'm not doing anything." Erica was about to protest, but Callie kept right on going. "You painted the nursery almost entirely by yourself, you took time out of your busy schedule to meet with the baby proofer and set all of that stuff up, you and Addison planned the baby shower for weeks without me knowing, you run out at 2 o'clock in the morning if I have a craving even though you just worked a thirty-six hour shift and have only been asleep for an hour or two, you've been pushing yourself way too hard at work, working ridiculous hours so you'll feel justified in taking time off when the baby's born because you know the Chief would give the time without all that extra work.

"I'm just an incubator."

Erica laughed. "Well when you put it that way."

Callie playfully swatted Erica's arm. "You do so much. Stop feeling guilty."

"I'll try."

"Thank-you." She leaned over and gave Erica a light kiss on the cheek before giving her a real kiss. "Now, what about my parents."

Erica rested her forehead on the table. "Tease."

* * *

It had taken Callie a good forty-five minutes to get Erica out the door. She kept changing her outfits, debating on whether to leave her hair curly or straighten it, deciding her shoes didn't go with her outfit and basically driving Callie up the preverbal wall. She had ended up going with a pair of khaki herringbone pants and a deep red side buckle wrap wool sweater that almost had Callie making them late. Callie had gone with a pair of black pants with a turquoise chenille sweater that clung to her and really accentuated her seven months pregnant belly and ever growing bust line. Normally, Erica would have loved nothing better than to rip that shirt off of her lover, but she was too nervous to think about anything but the evening ahead.

Once at the restaurant, Erica couldn't stop fiddling with her hair or brushing imaginary pieces of lint off her top. Finally Callie couldn't take it anymore. She all but slammed Erica's hand down on the table, causing the blonde to jump. "Relax."

"They're late."

Callie released Erica's hand and instead entwined their fingers over the table. "They'll be here and everything will be fine." Erica raised her eyebrows. "Or it won't, but they know better than to make a scene in public."

"Why am I so nervous? Shouldn't you be the one shaking like a leaf?"

"I'm too big to shake like a leaf."

Erica laughed and put her hand on Callie's belly, leaning over to give her a quick kiss. "You're not that big."

"Oh gee thanks." She playfully swatted Erica's leg. "Listen," She softened. "Don't worry about this. They're my parents, but they live in Miami so how much does their opinion really matter?"

"Do you care about their reaction at all?"

"Yeah I care, but it's not the be all and end all. I don't know . . . I'm thinking differently these days. I mean I have everything I've ever wanted; I'm in a great relationship with the most amazing woman in the world, kind of always pictured you being a guy but I guess you'll suffice, a baby on the way, a job that I love and that pays well, a beautiful home with plenty of space and in a safe neighborhood where our daughter can play outside. I had imagined things happening a little differently and in a somewhat different order, but . . . I have never been anywhere close to being this happy before. Why should I let them ruin it for me?"

"You're right. You are so right." Erica leaned back over. "I love you."

"I love you too." Callie responded before taking Erica's face in her hands and kissing her with as much passion as she had just poured out in her little speech.

_"Ahem."_ Within the few seconds they were lip locked neither woman had seen or heard the waiter bring Callie's parents to the table, nor said waiter's hasty exit when Callie's dad saw the two lovers.

"Mom, Dad . . . You remember Dr. Hahn?"


	27. Meet the Parents

So um...yeah. Have to say that episode didn't live up to last week's standards. I am so upset with what Callie did with Mark and Meredith hoping back into bed with McDreamy after all the crap he said and Alex and Izzie already had their thing . . . time to move on. Ramble done.

Bit longer chapter, but I really like how it progressed so I just went with it. Also mostly between Callie and her parents. Erica was just kind of taking it all in. She's never had to "Meet the Parents" before.  
_Flashback in italics._

Thanks for the reviews guys, keep it up!  
VillageVoice

* * *

"Actually Calliope I don't think you ever introduced us." Her father said, breaking the silence.

Erica cast Callie an angry glance then smiled and stood up to properly introduce herself. "Erica Hahn." Callie's father brought his hand up instantly to shake Erica's hand, while Callie's mother was a little hesitant. "I'm the head of Cardiothoracics at Seattle Grace."

"She took over when Dr. Burke left about a year ago now." Callie added, standing up to join the group. "Erica, these are my parents Carlos and Lora Torres."

"A heart surgeon." Carlos nodded. "Not many women in that field."

"No there's not." Erica agreed.

"Must have been hard."

"It was."

Carlos nodded. "Congratulations. That's quite an accomplishment."

Erica smiled. "Thank-you."

"Must be long hours."

"Some more than others."

"Okay, well as much as I would love for the small talk to continue, I am very much pregnant so can we sit down please." Callie interrupted, bringing the four of them to their respective seats at the table. An uncomfortable silence ensued.

It was again Callie's father who broke the silence. "How long have the two of you been together?"

"Dad!"

"What? There's no point in beating around the bush Calliope."

"I never did like small talk anyway." Erica agreed.

"Oh God." Callie let her head fall down onto her arms which were resting on the table. Thankfully, this was the time the waiter chose to come back from hiding and take their drink orders. Looked like Callie's parents were going to need some hard alcohol to process this new information. The conversation began again once the two had their drinks.

This time it was Callie's mother who spoke first. "Callie, why didn't you tell us?"

"I don't know. We've been really busy with work and the baby and getting everything ready."

"That's no excuse to lie to us."

"I never lied."

"Yesterday, you told us that you were divorced and pregnant with another man's child. You said that there was another man." He father said.

"I never said that. You said there was another man and I specifically told you that there was no other man."

"Well, if I knew that my daughter was a lesbian I would have chosen my words more carefully."

"I'm not a lesbian."

"Well then what are you Calliope?" He asked in a strong, authoritative voice.

"I'm a person, just like you. I just happened to fall in love with a woman. I never planned on it happening this way, but-"

"Love?" Her mother's eyes widened.

"Yes Mom, love."

"Did you two get pregnant together?" Her father asked.

Callie looked over at Erica. "In a way."

"What way?"

"I didn't get pregnant on purpose. There was this guy and we'd been . . ." What was the least awkward way to tell your parents you were having sex with a man to prove your heterosexuality because you were falling in love with your best friend?

"Dating?" Her mother offered.

Callie cringed. "No." She took a deep breath and just said it. "I realized that I'd been having feelings that were more than friendship toward Erica, but I wouldn't admit it so I started having sex with the head of plastics who'd been trying to get into my pants for months, and Erica's too for that matter, to prove I was straight and that I wasn't really having these feelings. Then we got this really tough case in the hospital and I couldn't keep lying anymore. So Erica and I got together and two months later I realized I was pregnant." A Vegas wedding, shotgun divorce, no strings attached sex with a co-worker, a lesbian relationship, an unplanned pregnancy and very soon a baby. She didn't even want to know what her parents were thinking. It would probably be best to tell them that she and Erica were engaged at a later date.

"This is all a little much Callie." Her mother began.

"I know."

"Is it too much to simply pick up the phone every once in a while instead of dumping everything on us all at once?" She asked.

"I know. I'm sorry." And just like that she felt six-years-old again. "I didn't know how to tell you."

"I'm sure you could have come up with a better way than this." Her father scoffed.

"I think we've gotten a little off track here." Erica interjected.

"I would think so." Carlos stated, again in his authoritative voice. "We had thought that we would get a call one day from Callie telling us she was getting married – to a man. And then a year or so down the line another call telling us she was pregnant. So excuse me, Dr. Hahn, but I think we are way off track here."

"I realize that things have happened a little differently than you would have liked, but-"

"How did your parents take the news?"

"Dad." Callie warned.

"I am assuming that you have told them before us. You look like the kind of person who would at least have that courtesy. Unlike my daughter."

Reverse psychology wasn't going to work here. "Dad. I was seriously debating telling either of you. Erica convinced me to tell you, so don't treat her like-"

"No, its fine Callie." Erica interrupted. "Actually Mr. Torres I haven't spoken to my parents in a very long time."

The older man scoffed.

"They died shortly after I graduated Med school."

"Oh I uh, I didn't know. I'm sorry."

"But I know that if I did tell them they would be none too pleased, so I needed to make sure that Callie told you before this little girl comes into the world because if you are going to abandon her I need to pick up the pieces before she's born so that we can move on and bring our daughter into a happy and loving family whether or not that includes the two of you."

The older couple remained silent for a minute until Lora looked up with tears in her eyes. "You're having a girl."

Callie smiled and took Erica's hand. "We are."

"My baby girl is having a baby girl." Callie was surprised to see the salty pools in her father's eyes as well. "I'm going to be a Papa . . . Again." Callie had two older brothers, CJ (Carlos Jr.) who was ten years older and LJ (Louis James) who was eight years older. Between the two, their parents already had five grandchildren, three boys and two girls, and now Callie's made six.

"You're planning on raising the child together?" Carlos asked, this time in a much softer tone.

Callie nodded. "Yes."

"Do you have any pictures?" Lora asked.

Callie reached into her bag and pulled out a photo envelope, handing it to her mother. "You might want to open those later." There were ultra sound pictures, as well as copies of their 5, 6 & 7 month pregnancy photos and some other random pics the two had taken over the last seven months. Callie hoped that by seeing these pictures her parents could see how much she and Erica loved one another and the life they had created together – not just the baby, but everything.

"And we got a dog." Callie added, beaming with happiness.

"Every kid should have a dog." Carlos stated.

"Funny." Erica began. "Callie said the same thing."

"Big dog?"

"She's about 50 pounds right now, but she's only five months old." Callie explained.

"She'll get bigger." Carlos said.

"We have a cat too." Callie added. "Erica had her before I moved in. She didn't like me at first, but we've become friends."

"You two are living together?" Lora half asked.

Callie nodded. "Erica's got a great place. It's close to work, in Seattle without being too in Seattle. It's in a safe neighborhood, with a good sized yard where our daughter can play. And we just finished painting the nursery. It's a pale purple with a purple, brown, pink and white flower and butterfly border to match her bedding. The furniture should be in soon and then all we need is . . . her."

"How long?" Lora asked.

Callie took a sip of her drink and looked quizzically at her mother. "How long what?"

"How long have you been living together?"

"Oh um, I guess it would be . . . a month after we became a couple, so…"

"Almost 6 months." Erica added, smiling. Callie smiled back and added a little wink.

"That soon? Didn't it seem a little rushed?"

Callie thought for a minute. She hadn't thought about it at the time, but the thing was it hadn't seemed rushed. What seemed rushed was time. Since Erica, everything had been a whirlwind and it was harder not to always be around her than it was to say yes when Erica had asked her to move in.

_... ... ... ... ... ... ... ..._

_It was a welcome change, having the weekend off, especially both doctors having the same weekend off. The past few days had been crazy with the pitt overflowing and the operating rooms overbooked, leaving very little time for Erica and Callie to spend together. The best they could do was send a quick text, not even having time for a five minute conversation._

_But it was Friday. They had done their work and now it was time for a well deserved break. They went to Joe's for a drink and one thing led to another and they ended up back at Erica's place. They were still awake by the time the dawn broke into Saturday and they sat on the back porch wrapped up in a warm blanket and watched the sunrise over Seattle._

_They had been together for one month that day. _

_As they watched the sun come up over the city they snuggled closer under the blanket, Callie's head on the cardio surgeon's shoulder. Erica looked over at Callie and was blown away. Basking in the afterglow of a night full of great sex, with the sun hitting her face and making her eyes light up Erica knew that she wanted to see that every morning - She wanted to see Callie every morning. Every morning and every night, first thing and last thing. She wanted to wake Callie up with gentle kisses in the morning and rock her world until neither could stay awake any longer and they fell asleep in each other's arms every night._

_She tucked a stray hair behind Callie's ear, gently turned her face toward her and kissed her with everything she was feeling right then, in that moment._

_When they pulled away Callie smiled and looked lovingly at Erica. "What was that for?"_

_"Move in with me?"_

_"What?"_

_Erica caressed the side of Callie's face and brought her in for another kiss. "I think of the future and I never see a time or a place that you're not in. I want us to start that future."_

_Callie took Erica's hand and entwined their fingers, running her other hand over their joined hands. She looked back up at Erica with an even brighter light in her eyes. "Let's get started."_

_... ... ... ... ... ... ... ..._

"No. I-I can't describe it, it just felt…"

"It felt right." Her father finished.

And that's when Callie realized that they were going to be okay. Her parents were undoubtedly going to have to take some time to come to terms with everything, but if her father could understand what she felt and was feeling, then he knew she was powerless against it and who it pulled her to. And everything would work out.

* * *

-- ... -- ... -- ... -- ... -- ... -- ... -- ... -- ... -- ... -- ... -- ... -- ... -- ... -- ... -- ... -- ... -- ... -- ... -- ... -- ... -- ... -- ... -- ... -- ... -- ... -- ... -

So here's the big question. I have up to chapter 31 written and just waiting to be posted, but my muse seems to have left to go on vacation again as she likes to do frequently. To get a little inspiration brewing I was wondering if you guys have any scenarios you would like to see played out?  
Any situations you would like to see Callie and Erica in?  
Any problems you would like to sneak in under the cracks?  
Any good things Callie and Erica should have headed their way?

Any and all suggestions will be reviewed and seriously considered, within reason.  
PM me


	28. Tis the Season

Okay so I am bored and there is a lack of Callica stories on the Grey's board right now so I figured I'm post another chapter

I realize the Holidays are a little way away, but my story is a little beyond us, so here's to Christmas in October!  
A very detail-filled chapter. Sorry if detail isn't your thing.

And don't worry, this baby is on her way. The months are flying by for Callie and Erica, but some things need to be taken care of before the baby joins the happy couple.

VillageVoice

* * *

The very next day Callie and Erica went out and bought a tree.

Erica's house was designed in such a way that the second floor didn't go over the living room on the main floor. Because it didn't have another floor over it, it shared the same ceiling as the second floor. With this high ceiling in the living room they were able to get the biggest and fullest tree they saw - a grand 12-foot Evergreen that would be going right next to the stone fireplace in the corner of the living room, right by one of the floor to ceiling windows on either side of the fireplace. Callie thought it should go on the left, and Erica thought it should go by the one on the right, in the back of the house. In the end they left their fate in the hand of an ancient president and when they flipped the shiny coin, it landed in Erica's favor.

Once they had the tree they ventured next door to this huge shop full of everything Christmas. They were able to get a tree skirt, a stand, lights, a beautiful angel for the top of the tree and many, many, many different ornaments to decorate the tree for their first Christmas together. They also bought icicle lights for the house, fake white candles to put in all the windows, some Poinsettia plants to put around the house, a winter themed Quilt and shams for their bed, a real wreath for the front door, a holiday welcome mat, white garland to go on the stair railing and over doorways, beautifully decorated fake gingerbread houses and people, a nativity scene and a couple of Santa sleighs to go on the fireplace mantle.

The last things they picked up on their way out were their stockings. Erica picked a traditional red velvet stocking with silver embroidered stars and the typical white fuzzy stuff around the top and Callie picked one with the same red, but hers had white at the toe and heel part of the stocking as well as around the top. They also found a cute little white one for Mocha that had little gold dog bones embroidered all over it and one for Domino with gold fish. Then they were done.

They got home just as the furniture for the baby's room arrived and had the delivery men bring it all up into the room. They would put it together later. Once all of their bags were in, Callie headed upstairs for a nap and Erica got busy setting everything up.

* * *

Callie woke to a strange light coming in through the window. Still half-asleep she got out of bed, pulled down the shade and closed the curtains before returning to bed. But something was different. She opened her eyes and looked around her, not seeing nor feeling the familiar softness of the bedspread. "Erica." She called. She looked behind her at the pillows and saw that they too had been changed to the new bedding they had bought earlier.

Erica entered the room and sat down on the bed, kissing her newly awakened girlfriend. "Have a nice nap?"

"Would have been better with you, but it was good enough." She said, leaning back in for another kiss. "When did you put this stuff in here?" She asked as she ran a hand over the stitching of the quilt.

"While you were sleeping. I was just going to bring them up here and wait for you to wake up to put everything on the bed, but you didn't have a blanket on so I put the quilt over you and put the shams on the pillows since you weren't using them."

Erica had a mischiefious smile on her face. "What else did you do?"

Erica's smile grew. "You'll have to get up and see now won't you?" She woke Mocha up and ruffled the dog's fur. Revealing her new Christmas collar that Callie didn't remember seeing. "Come on, let's go." She practically bounced out of the room, peaking not only Callie's curiosity but Mocha's as well, who ran out after the blonde.

Callie loved this side of Erica. It was her side. The side not many people got to see. At the hospital she was totally different, _'Attila the Hahn'_ if you will. But that wasn't her at all. Callie laughed and followed the two out of the room. The furniture was still in boxes in the baby's room, so that wasn't it. When she hit the stairs she saw it.

Erica had decorated the house while she had been asleep. "Damn." Callie said. "She moves fast." Thehand railing going down the stairs had the white garland wrapped around it and a blue and silver runner over the white carpet that covered the top floor and the stairs, and two Poinsettia plants were by the base of said stairs below. She turned to the right and headed toward the living room, noticing the pictures that hung on the wall.

There were five pictures. The first was a collage of all the sonogram pictures they had to date. The next one was the picture from their five month photo shoot with the third being a photo from their sixth month shoot, the one with them sitting together in a field with Callie holding Mocha as the pup licked her face and Erica behind her looking at them both and laughing.

The next one was a picture they had taken the day before. It was taken from above, zoomed in on Callie and Erica's hands on Callie's belly, showing their new rings.

And the last one was their latest pregnancy photo, their seventh month shot. This one was taken here in their home, the night of the first snow of the season in Seattle. Callie and Erica were laying on the shag rug in front of the fireplace as a blazing fire roared. Erica's eyes were closed, supposedly sleeping with Mocha curled up next to her resting her head on Erica's leg as she slept, and Callie was laying on her side, accentuating her round belly, keeping a watchful eye on her girls as she sipped a steaming mug of hot cocoa and ran her other hand through Erica's blonde curls.

She turned around, noticing the candles had all been placed in the windows and judging by the light coming in from the windows the icicle lights had been put up as well. The same white garland was over every doorway Callie noticed as she entered the living room. The two gingerbread houses were on one side of the fireplace with the gingerpeople around as well. The mantle had been decorated with two sleighs on either end with the nativity scene in the middle. Their stockings hanging on one side of the scene on hooks that were underneath two porcelain angels and Mocha and Domino's stockings on the other side of the scene, hanging from porcelain dog and kitty angels.

Everywhere Callie looked, it was decorated. She stopped in the doorway and was met by Erica who told her to look up. Mistletoe.

Callie leaned in and kissed Erica very softly on the lips before snuggling into the older woman's warm embrace. "Everything looks amazing."

Erica laughed; she could feel the baby kicking with Callie's belly pressed up against her stomach. "The baby thinks so too."

"How did you do all of this so fast? I was only sleeping for a few hours."

"I may or may not have had help." Callie pulled away and waited for her to explain. "Addison came over and helped me decorate and Mark put up the lights on the house and the fence in the back."

"You let Mark in the house? Willingly?"

"I did. It was kind of a packaged deal, since he and Addison are back together." She led Callie over to the couch across from the fireplace where a warm fire was roaring.

Erica laid down on the couch and Callie sat down in front of her, resting back against her love, once again snuggling into her embrace. "Addison said they might be looking to buy a house in the neighborhood."

"They mentioned that."

"What do you think?"

Erica moved her hands onto Callie's belly and drew lazy circles with her palms. "I think that once he signs the paper and isn't her father anymore I won't care where he lives."

Callie smiled and let out a deep breath. "You didn't decorate the tree."

"No. I thought we should do that together."

Callie laughed. "Just don't count on using any of the tinsel." Erica followed Callie's line of sight and saw her little fur ball of a cat had knocked open the box of tinsel and was currently covered in the thin silver strands. "Domino!" She was up off the couch in a flash and gathered up the cat, attempting to brush off the tinsel. Once it was all gone she held the cat out to look at her. "You, my friend, are a pain and a half." She walked back over to the couch and deposited the cat in Callie's lap, taking up her spot behind Callie.

"Aw, don't listen to her." Callie instructed the cat, curling her up in her arms. "I'll save you." The cat immediately relaxed into Callie's arms and started purring.

"I swear she likes you more than me." Erica said. Callie just laughed as she played with the bell on Domino's new collar. "I planned a little Christmas/Holiday party."

"While I was sleeping?"

"Yeah."

"When?"

"Christmas Eve."

"Erica that's in three days."

"I know, but with me, you, Addison and Mark it should be easy."

"Who'd you invite?"

"You know, the usual." She shrugged. "Everyone."

"Little Christmas party, huh?" She laughed. "Good thing you have a big house."

"And your parents."

"What did they say?"

Erica smiled. "That there was no place they'd rather be. Your brothers and their families are flying in too."

Callie couldn't help it, but everything Erica did had her eyes tearing up. She was so glad she had a friend like Mark who made her realize what she could be missing before she missed her chance. "It's going to be a great Christmas."

Erica tightened her arms around Callie and kissed the back of her head. "It sure is."

The two fell asleep by the fire that night, having made love right on the floor in front of it.


	29. Little Announcements

**Tonight's Ep: **Major suckage in my opinion along the Callie/Erica line. Though I am glad that Callie told Erica and now she and Sloan are off. I also think this episode paved the way for Callie's bisexuality. Oh well, there's always next wek.

Anyway, Quite another detail-filled chapter.

I figured it's been a while since other Grey's characters besides Callie, Erica, Addison and Mark were involved so I kind of threw them all in and shook them up. But don't worry, I returned them to Shonda and ABC unharmed. They probably won't even remember it . . . unfortunately

And yes I know they say "I love you" a lot to each other, but that's just how they are :D

VillageVoice

* * *

The next three days flew by in a flurry of activity. Callie and Erica had spent the whole next morning after their little shopping spree decorating the tree which was standing tall and proud near the fireplace. Erica had the honors of placing the angel on the tree. She needed a step-ladder to get all the way up there, but she got it done. The rest of the day was spent assembling the furniture in the baby's room.

Everything was antique black. The crib even had crown molding and other accents that were supposedly to showcase the beauty of French country design. Apparently it had been inspired by the 'eclectic flavor of the Provence region of southern France.' The crib went in the back of the room against the wall and under one of the windows with the changing table, which was also a 6-drawer double dresser, going next to it under the other window. A beautiful three shelf bookcase with a bottom drawer was against the wall to the left next to the rocking chair and ottoman that were the same antique black and had purple fabric that matched the bedding. The closet was on the left wall and the little night stand between the crib and changing table held a little light that matched the bedding and a single picture frame that housed their original first ultrasound photo.

They both still had to work their shifts, but they had weekends off and Callie's hours had been drastically reduced per Dr. Montgomery's orders as she got closer to her eighth month of pregnancy and Erica stopped with the ridiculous hours and spent more time at home. They also had help from Mark and Addison, so they were able to get everything ready for the party relatively quickly.

Callie's brothers and their families had all arrived the day before and were nothing but thrilled at finding that their baby sister was expecting and had finally settled down. They never thought it would be with a woman, but they were just happy she had found love. All of the kids had been drawn to Erica immediately. CJ and his wife Alena had three kids - Gabriel who was 10, Ben who was 7 and little Sarah was 3, and the spitting image of her Aunt Callie. LJ was married to a woman named Emily and their son Ethan was 6 and their daughter Maia was 2.

It was the night of the party and the Torres women, which they had all so eagerly accepted Erica into, were all sitting and standing around preparing the rest of the food. Erica learned that this was Torres family tradition. The women all stayed and got things ready and the boys went off and did . . . well, they didn't really know what they did, but they went off nonetheless and left the women alone.

Callie was running, or rather briskly waddling around the house putting out all the pictures she had just got frames for around the house. On the mantle she put the picture she had taken yesterday of her parents, a recent picture of CJ, Alena and their kids and one of LJ, Emily and theirs, one of her and Erica and even one of Addison and Mark. The one that had been taken earlier of her, Erica and the whole family had been blown up and put on the wall on the outside of the den.

"Auntie Erica" had been commandeered by Sarah and Maia to help them get into their party dresses and fix their hair, Sarah's in a French braid and Maia's in two adorable little pigtails. It took a long time to get two little girls to stand still long enough to get their faces washed and them out of their clothes and into their dresses and tights and pretty shoes, and their hair . . . if her and Callie's little girl was anything like them then Erica had best get all the sleep she would need in the next five years right now.

When they were finished she brought the girls downstairs, Maia asleep on her shoulder and Sarah rubbing her eyes behind them and set them up in the den with a movie and some blankets. They had a few hours until the party started and it would do them some good to have a nap first. When she went back into the kitchen Callie was sitting on a stool on the island and Carlos was helping his wife at the stove.

"I thought there was a no men allowed rule?" Erica asked with laughter in her eyes.

Lora laughed. "Oh him? Well, we don't know what he is anymore." The whole room laughed. This felt right to Erica. She had never really been part of a family so she was learning everything as she went along, but it felt nice to be part of a family.

"Calliope, what about the father of this child?" Carlos asked the minute Erica sat down. "Is he planning on having any involvement in her life?"

Callie rolled her eyes. That was her Dad - never happy for long, always focusing on the issues.

"You did tell him, right?"

"Yes Dad, we told him. And then he told us, in no uncertain terms, that as soon as the baby's born he's relinquishing his parental rights. He's not ready to be a father. But we have access to him and his complete medical history if we ever need it. And we did ask him to be the Godfather, so he will be in her life, he just won't be raising her nor having any say in how she's raised."

"The godfather?" Her mother questioned, momentarily turning away from the stove. "Do you know this man well?"

"We work with him. He's our friend." Erica rolled her eyes and Callie playfully smacked her arm.

"Erica you don't like him?" She asked.

"I'm working on it."

Lora turned back to the stove and hit Carlos.

"What? What did I do now?"

All that Lora said was, "Men." And then she and the other four women in the room proceeded to laugh for the next several minutes causing Carlos to mutter things in Spanish that were apparently very funny. When Callie could get a breath in she told Erica that she would tell her later.

_Ding Dong._

Callie went to stand up, but Erica beat her to it. "I'll get it. You" She gave Callie a quick kiss as she pushed her back down onto the stool. "Rest your feet." She heard Alena muttering something about them being cute couple and could just imagine Callie turning a very pretty shade of red.

She opened the door to a very cold looking Addison. "Erica, it is freezing out there."

"We can't all be like California all year long." She took Addison's coat and hung it in the closet. "Where's Mark?"

"Oh he's getting the presents from the trunk." She walked over and closed the door just as Mark got to it and walked away.

Erica laughed, but still opened the door. "Hey Mark."

Mark came into the house with all the bags and a scowl on his face. "I don't know why I bother with women anymore. Maybe you had the right idea Erica, maybe I should switch teams."

Erica took his coat and chuckled. "Yeah, you let me know how that works for you Mark." She pointed him toward the tree to unload the gifts and re-joined the group in the kitchen.

* * *

A few hours later the party was in full swing. There was music, food, drinks, lively conversation and a bunch of kids running around. As it turned out, pretty much everyone had shown up. Meredith and Derek, the newlyweds just back from their honeymoon, George and Lexie who were now dating, Alex & Izzie, who Callie was actually starting to become really great friends with, Dr. Bailey, little Tuck and her husband who appeared to be the picture perfect family, the Chief and his wife who were doing very well since getting back together, Christina was there with her new Army beau, Dr. Wyatt and her husband were there with her two grown daughters, and Erica had even gritted her teeth and invited Dr. Sydney Heron even though no one really liked her. No one should have to be alone on Christmas. Joe and Walther were even there as were a few couples from their birthing class. There were so many people there no one could really keep up.

Erica found Callie in the crowd, sitting on the chair by the fireplace talking with Izzie. She walked over as soon as Izzie walked away. "There you are." She sat down on the arm of the chair. "I've missed you."

Callie smiled and leaned over for a kiss, which Erica eagerly gave. "I missed you too." More than once. "What have you been up too?"

"Playing the cheery hostess, mingling, pretty much doing everything I wouldn't normally do."

Callie laughed and leaned against Erica. Erica had a sharp pain in her lower abdomen and tried to hide it, but Callie was too quick for that. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, fine. Probably just ate too much." She said, hiding behind a fake smile that Callie could see right through.

"Maybe I should find someone. This place is crawling with doctors."

"Really Callie, I'm fine."

"Erica-"

"Callie its Christmas. Can't we just enjoy this?"

Callie blatantly rolled her eyes causing Erica to laugh even though it hurt to do so. "I guess." She leaned over and gave Erica another kiss. "But if you need anything…"

"I'll let you know."

Callie nodded.

"Auntie Erie." Came a little voice from behind the couch.

She winked at Callie and went over to the little girl. "Yes Miss Maia." The little girl with blonde pigtails had her hands up for Erica to pick her up. "What can I do for you?"

Callie smiled. Erica was a natural with children. As much of a hard ass as she was at work, especially distancing herself from the kids, Maia and Sarah had managed to get her wrapped around their little fingers in no time. She was going to make a great mother. Callie could think of no one else in the world she would like to raise her children with. _'Whoa.'_ Callie thought. _'Let's see if we survive this one before we even think of more.'_ Callie never had any doubts that she and Erica would have more than one. She herself was one of three and Erica had been raised as an only child and hated it. They'd talk about it more when this first one was at least out of diapers and they had time to plan. Yes, the next one would be a lot more planned than this one.

Then she got thinking to what the baby would look like? Callie and her brothers all had dark hair and dark eyes. Mark had light brown hair at one point, before he went prematurely gray. Callie hoped that gene wouldn't be passed on. But his eyes. He had gorgeous blue eyes and he did have a nice smile. Although his eyes went all squinty when he smiled kind of reminding Callie of a chipmunk. Maybe that gene would stay with him too. But all in all he was a good person. He had a good sense of humor, great dedication to his work. There were worse people out there.

"Callie."

Callie looked up and saw Christina headed her way.

"I saw the army guy." Callie began. "Niiiice."

"Yeah, yeah whatever. Listen, you have got to help me. Izzie and Alex are driving me crazy." With Meredith and Derek going off and getting married, they had made their dream house on Derek's land and moved in there as soon as construction was finished. That left Meredith's house with an extra room and they needed someone else in there to help with the bills and such. Since Christina no longer had a roommate, she was eager to get out of her apartment and had jumped, not literally as that wasn't her style, but had figuratively jumped at the chance to move on with her life. "All they do is fight and Alex brings home another girl every night and Izzie, she bakes Callie. Bakes! 3, 4 in the morning, she doesn't care, she just bakes and bakes and bakes and if I have to eat another one of her muffins I swear I am going to explode."

"Have you talked to them? Tell them that all the fighting bothers you."

Christina looked at her like she had three heads. "How many times do I have to tell you, I can't talk girl."

"Well then get yourself a nice pair of earplugs."

Christina paused for a moment, considering the idea. "Whats the use. One of Karev's conquests will probably just steal them anyway."

"And a lock." Callie added.

"How's everything going here? With Dr. Hahn?"

Callie's face lit up. "You know, it's incredibly-"

"I don't really care." And with that she got up and walked away leaving Callie chuckling to herself. Christina was . . . Christina. No excuses, no apologies.

Meanwhile Erica had tired little Maia out and put her to sleep in the guestroom upstairs beside Sarah who had conked out a while ago.

"You're a natural." Addison remarked, catching Erica on her way back down the stairs.

"You think so?"

"I do. Kids gravitate toward you Erica. Your interns and residents may run the other way when they hear your voice, but . . . I don't know. You soften around kids. Stop worrying."

"I'm not worrying."

Addison saw right through that. "You'll be great."

The two walked back into the living room just in time.

"Why didn't you tell me you and Dr. Hahn were engaged?" Christina asked. The whole room went quiet. Even little Tuck who had been fussing sensed that this was a good time to stop.

Callie hoisted herself up and glared at Christina. "Because we weren't going to tell people yet." She whispered so only Christina could hear. Then she looked to Erica with an unreadable expression in her eyes.

Erica shrugged and walked over to Callie, taking her hand."Thank-you Yang, for that fine display of tact."

"Are you okay with telling everyone now?" Callie asked.

Erica smiled and brought a hand to Callie's face. "Doesn't look like we have much choice, does it?"

Callie chuckled. It seemed nothing was ever in their hands. They hadn't chosen to get pregnant, hadn't chosen to tell Callie's parents when they showed up and they hadn't planned on telling anyone of their engagement until after the baby was born. Fate had a way of shoving things in their faces and forcing them to deal with it.

Callie smiled, a real bright smile that lit up her eyes. She took a deep breath and turned to face everyone. "We have a little announcement."

* * *

It was well past two thirty by the time the last guests had left. Callie and Erica were laying on the couch in the living room watching the fire dying down and the snow falling outside the windows. Erica forced herself up and off of the couch. She needed sleep, and so did Callie. If they wanted a good sleep the couch was not the place to get it. She held her hands out to Callie and helped the pregnant woman stand up.

Callie took Erica's hands and let herself be helped up off the couch. Hand in hand the two walked up the stairs to their bedroom, pausing to look into the baby's finished room. "Only a few more weeks." Callie said, looking up at Erica.

Erica smiled and led Callie into the bedroom. They changed quickly and laid down under the warmth of the new quilt. Erica snuggled up behind Callie and put her arm over her growing belly. "Merry Christmas Cal."

Callie turned her head toward Erica and kissed the blonde. "Merry Christmas. I love you."

Erica rested her head in the crook of Callie's neck, kissing the soft tan flesh. "I love you back."


	30. Happy New Year?

I know I'm not due to post for another few days, but a GREAT tragedy in the television world has just occured. Dr. Erica Hahn will step foot in Seattle's Grace for the last time this Thursday. She isn't even being given an exit.  
Read this: www (dot) ausiellofiles (dot) ew (dot) com/2008/11/brooke-smith-le (dot) html  
Don't even review, rather tell ABC what you think: www (dot) abc (dot) go (dot) com/site/contactus (dot) html  
Not gonna lie I'm getting a bit shitfaced right now cause I'm so upset! ABC can die for all I care  
Then feel free to call me up so we can all cry together. :(

----

Anyway, I certainly won't be pulling any of that crap in my story  
A day in the life . . .  
Besides Callica, a little Maddison in this chapter

VillageVoice

* * *

The rest of December passed pretty quickly with nothing exciting really happening. With Erica and Callie both taking time once the baby was born, they only had Christmas off. The rest of the month was work as usual, with a sharp increase in their work load because people tended to get stupid, really stupid, around the holidays.

"What is it about holidays that make people lose all common sense?" Callie asked as she came out of a patient's room.

Addison turned around and leaned back against the counter. "I don't know. I guess I can kind of see it. The people who filter through here during the holidays are mostly alone, trying to do something that will give their life some purpose. Something that will leave someone with something to miss when they're gone; something that will impact someone else's life. And no one wants to be alone on the holidays. Even spending some time with an overly pregnant resident is better than nothing."

Callie gave Addison a sideways glance and flipped open the chart she was holding to make some last minute notes. "When did you become such a pessimist?"

"I'm not a pessimist, just a realist." Addison corrected. "And when did you become such an optimist."

"I'm not an optimist," Callie looked down the hall and saw Erica walking towards them and a smile came over her face.

Addison looked around Callie and saw Erica heading toward them. She over exaggeratedly rolled her eyes. "No, you're right. You're a love-sick puppy."

Callie chuckled at her friend's teenage antics. "I'm not love-sick and I am way too big to be a puppy." She looked back to Erica. "I'm in love. There's a difference."

"Hey." Erica greeted as she met Callie with a kiss.

"It's a powerful feeling." Callie turned back to Addison and stuck her tongue out. If she was going to act like a child then Callie was too. Then she and Erica walked off, leaving Addison making fake gagging noises behind them. Callie just laughed. Mark made Addison act like a teenager. She hadn't yet figured out if that was a good thing or not.

"What's a powerful feeling?" Erica asked.

Callie smiled up at Erica. "Love. Happiness. You."

Erica smiled. "Can you be pregnant all the time? I mean, like this pregnant. Not the weepy pregnant."

Callie laughed and playfully punched Erica in the arm before taking Erica's hand in her own and leaning her head on the blonde's shoulder. "For you, I'll think about it."

* * *

Addison handed the latest sonogram pictures over to the expectant parents. "Everything looks great, as usual."

Erica took the cloth and wiped the rest of the gel off of Callie's belly as the brunette could no longer see certain parts of herself.

"You still counting her kicks and movements?"

Callie nodded. "But we did have to have a little chat this morning about not bothering Mommy at work." She looked down at her bump. "Didn't we?"

Addison laughed and wrote a few things down on Callie's chart. She loved what Erica and this pregnancy brought out in Callie. It was a bit cliché, but Callie was glowing. She was happy, genuinely happy. Addison hoped she would have that some day.

"So, is that it?" Erica asked, helping Callie sit up and put on her jacket.

"No, actually. Callie, I'm going to have to recommend that you reduce your hours significantly."

Erica looked up from her bag. Callie looked from Erica to Addison, thoroughly confused. "Why? I thought everything was fine?"

Addison put the file on the counter. "Callie." She began. "You're big as a house."

"Is there another doctor I could see?" Callie asked.

Addison laughed. "I didn't mean it that way and you know it. But Callie, you're feet and ankles are too swollen for you to be on your feet for hours in surgery."

"I can sit."

"The baby is pressing down on your bladder making it damn near impossible to even sit in surgery for an hour. You're eight months pregnant. You've only got eight weeks left. It's time to lighten up."

Callie couldn't argue with that.

"Part-time, effective now. And no surgeries."

Callie groaned and let herself fall back onto the table. This was going to be a long two months.

"So" Addison began, totally changing the subject. "We still on for tonight?"

* * *

The couple had a few hours to kill until meeting Mark and Addison at their new place to welcome in the New Year. A few days after Christmas they had put an offer on a house 2 blocks away and it was accepted immediately. Something about the family wanting to move and start the New Year in a new place. So to bide their time Callie and Erica were cozied up in the den watching nothing in particular in their usual position, Callie laying down with her head on Erica's lap, Erica running her fingers through Callie's dark tresses.

"I've been thinking about finishing off the basement."

"Yeah?" Callie asked sleepily. She always got sleepy when Erica played with her hair. More often than not she ended up asleep. "What do you want to do to it?"

"Well all that's down there right now is the washer, dryer and some old boxes I haven't a clue as to what's in. I was thinking we could turn half of it into another bedroom. It would be good for when your parents visit, which I have a feeling they will do more frequently once the baby's born."

"What's wrong with the guestroom upstairs?"

"It was fine to have the guestrooms upstairs when I was living here by myself, but do you really want your parents sleeping down the hall from us?"

Callie thought for a minute. "They can stay in a hotel."

"We turned one of the guestrooms into the baby's room, so I was thinking we could do away with the other guestroom upstairs too and just make one big one downstairs. And we could attach a bathroom to it."

"What about the rest of the basement?"

"I was thinking a playroom and another bathroom. She'll need somewhere to put all her toys someday, and there's really no place up here."

"Sounds good." Callie nodded as she yawned. "What are we going to do with the guestroom upstairs?"

"I'm sure we could fill it someday."

Callie was awake now. "You want more kids?"

Erica shrugged. "Someday, yeah. Not anytime soon. But someday."

Callie smiled and leaned up for a kiss. "I think finishing the basement is a great idea."

"Good." Erica replied, taking a sip of her drink. "Because the remodeling people are coming Monday to give us an estimate." Callie just laughed. "And if we rush it, they said they said they could get it done in a little over a month. It'll cost more, but it'll be better to have it done before you're on maternity leave so you can rest and before the baby's born so we all can rest. And I don't want all the fumes and dust around you or the baby. Nor strange people when I'm not around."

Callie closed her eyes and took Erica's hand, letting out a long contented sigh. All was as it should be.

* * *

"5 . . . 4 . . . 3 . . . 2 . . . 1 . . . Happy New Year!" The foursome exclaimed together.

Erica turned to Callie. "Happy New Year." The two closed the distance and kissed with a promise of all the New Year would bring.

"Mmm, Happy New Year to you too." After a few moments of being totally wrapped up in each other they felt two very sharp pairs of eyes on them. They looked over to see Addison and Mark just staring at them.

"What?" Callie asked, still wrapped within Erica's arms. "It's New Years, this is what you're supposed to do." She looked up at Erica and a silent plan was hatched between the two. Something was off with the other couple, they had sensed it earlier at the hospital. The two kissed one last time and went their separate ways.

"Addison, could I talk to you for a minute?" Erica asked, pulling the redhead into the kitchen.

"Mark." Callie began. "Let's talk."

"What's going on with you two?" Erica asked the minute the stepped into the kitchen.

Addison grabbed the nearest bottle of champagne and topped herself off. "I don't know."

"You two start out in New York. You dump him and move here and he chased after you. Then you move to LA and back here again. You two get back together and everything's going great, you buy a house together. You two have survived a marriage, a divorce, an abortion, numerous break-ups and make-ups. Now you're taking the next step. You were happy a few days ago. What is going on?"

Addison filled her glass up a second time. "He wants kids."

Erica stood up straight. "What?"

"Not Callie's." Addison assured her. "At least I don't think."

"What?" Erica re-iterated.

"I can't have kids."

"Oh. . . Addison I am so sorry."

"I found out when I first moved to LA. I aborted my only chance at being a Mom and of giving Mark a child."

"Addison, you can still be a mother. There's adoption-"

"Mark wants kids that are genetically his. He can't stand the idea of having someone else's kids running around the house." She brushed away the escaped tears. "I had what little eggs I had left harvested, so there's a theoretical chance I could get pregnant, but I know it's not gonna happen. This is karma's way of punishing me."

Erica was at a loss for words.

In the other room, Callie wasn't having much luck either. "Why are you being an ass?"

"Just come right out and say it why don't you." Mark replied, plopping himself down on a nearby chair.

Callie paused for a minute. "Why are you being an ass?"

"Am I supposed to know what you're talking about?"

"Addison loves you. She moved back here to be with you."

"No, she moved back here to be closer to you."

"Mark get over yourself. If she was really here because of me she would've rented an apartment for a few months. Not bought a house, and certainly not with you. She loves you."

"Callie, it's complicated. You wouldn't understand."

"I wouldn't understand?" Callie asked, slowly lowering herself into the chair beside Mark. "I am in a relationship with a colleague, an attending and a woman. We haven't even been together for a year and we're welcoming a baby in two months that was fathered by a…" Callie caught herself before calling the father of her child a _'man-whore.'_ "A friend. . . Complicated is what I do."

Mark took another sip of his drink. "I want kids Cal."

Callie's hands unconsciously flew to her belly.

"Not yours, don't worry. I knew from the start that it wasn't my baby you were carrying. It's yours and Erica's. It's always been yours and Erica's. It was conceived when you two were together. I wasn't even there for the conception of my own kid."

"So have kids."

"Addison can't."

"So?"

"What do you mean 'so?'?"

"So what? You can adopt."

"Callie-"

"No Mark. There are plenty of kids out there who need a good home. So Addison can't literally have children, so what? You two can still have kids. Stop being so selfish. The two of you have a lot to offer and just because the kid won't be yours biologically doesn't change the connection and the bond you can form with that child. Erica . . . There aren't enough degrees of separation to show how much Erica is not related to this kid, but - she already knows her voice. She already knows her touch. Genetics is crap Mark. It's what happens after the kid is born that counts."

* * *

It was another few hours before Callie and Erica got back home.

"That. Was. Exhausting." Callie said as she flopped herself down onto their bed.

"Those two are worse than children."

"They're Addison and Mark." Callie began, pushing herself up. "What did you really expect?"

Erica took her heels off and left them by the dresser. "True."

"I just feel bad." Callie said. "Here I am being all big and pregnant in front of Addison and she's reminded of the chance she had, but threw out the window."

"Never feel bad. She made her choice then as she and Mark will have to make a decision somewhere down the road." Erica said as she sat down next to Callie."People have different challenges for different reasons. Everything happens for a reason, and everything works itself out somehow."

"What if it doesn't?"

Erica took Callie in her arms. "It will. Trust me."


	31. Trust in That

**Tonight's Ep: **Not too bad actually. I was expecting this MAJOR blow-up/break-up between Callie adn Erica, but it just seemed like the had an argument and Erica walked away. Although I am a bit worried for next week. Previews showed Callie crying over a patient. Maybe Erica? Though I don't see how seeing as Brooke Smith isn't in anymore episodes. Maybe it's Erica's heart patient and he's getting her heart? I don't know...

Anyway,  
Not so sure how much I love this ending. I re-wrote it many, many times but nothing seemed to click with me. I kind of like it now after having a few more chapters under my belt. It seems to fit in nicely. And it shows a little more of Addison/Mark and their pregnancy way back when.

Hope you like it  
As always, R & R  
VillageVoice

* * *

"You know" Erica began as she held the door open for her pregnant fiancé. "I think I am officially getting tired of having my picture taken."

Callie scoffed. "This is nothing. Try growing up the only girl and the baby. I may have been an 'oops' baby, but my gender made me Mommy & Daddy's Little Angel."

Callie took Mocha's leash and sat down in one of the waiting chairs as Erica went up to the receptionist to check-in. "Torres-Hahn. We have an appointment for 2:30."

"You two can go right in. Fiona had a cancellation, so she's just waiting for you." The twenty-something receptionist said.

Callie hoisted herself back up. "Lucky us."

Once inside the studio Callie and Erica were immediately welcomed by a light brunette with dark-rimmed glasses. "Callie, Erica, great to see you both. Glad to see the little one is still cooking."

Callie laughed. "You and me both."

She bent down to greet the dog. "Well hello to you too. You certainly are getting big." She stood back up and looked to Callie and Erica. "So, any ideas for your eight month shot?"

"Not a clue." Erica replied.

Fiona clasped her hands together. "Great. Let's get started."

The reason they had chosen Fiona in the first place as opposed to the other photographers they were considering was because of her insistence that the pictures be real. She wasn't about wrapping a sheet around the mommy and making her appear as a Greek Goddess, a pregnant Greek Goddess. If the mommy did happen to be a pregnant Greek Goddess then Fiona would be perfectly happy to wrap a sheet around her and portray her as such. But the majority of women she saw were not, and Fiona found more beauty in showing them as they were than showing them as something they weren't.

"You still sure you don't want to do a nude shot? They can be very tasteful."

"Ah, no thanks." Callie said.

"No." Erica added. "I'm the only one who gets to see that."

Fiona laughed and brought the couple over to the studio and led then to a couch that was currently set up for a shoot. "Okay, so we did your first shot in here with the microscope." For their first shoot Callie was showing, but just barely so Fiona thought it would be funny to have her up on an exam table with a bright light aimed on her exposed belly with Erica examining it with a microscope. Just because Fiona wanted real didn't mean it couldn't be funny.

"Six months we did outside in the field with you and Mocha, which is now up on my website and has a permanent position at the beginning of my portfolio because it is just so perfect."

Erica and Callie both smiled. That picture was their favorite too.

"Seven we did on-site at your house in front of the fire. Mmm, that one was gorgeous too."

Callie leaned closer to Erica. "I don't know if she's complimenting us . . . or herself." She whispered causing the blonde to laugh.

"So," Fiona began again, bringing Callie and Erica back into the conversation. "I was thinking another on-site shoot."

"Where?" Erica asked.

"Where else would show you two as you truly are other than the place where you spend most of your time?"

* * *

"We cannot do a photo shoot at the hospital." Erica protested for the umpteenth time as she and Callie changed into their scrubs.

"I'm going to need new scrubs soon." Callie muttered to herself. "Listen Erica, we're here. The Chief has given us an empty exam room for the next hour barring and emergencies." She took her lab coat off the hook an out it on. "Or" She began again, making her way to the door. "We could always do it in an on-call room. You know . . . the on-call room. I bet Christina would make herself available for a cameo." Callie could waddle real fast for a pregnant woman. "AH!"

"Whoa ladies, what's the rush?"

"Out of my way Sloan." Erica ordered as she chased Callie down the hall.

"Callie Torres, if you don't want to drop that baby right here, right now I suggest you stop running!" Addison yelled after the pair.

Erica caught up to Callie and pushed her into the nearest room, which happened to be said on-call room. "First of all, wow." She said, catching her own breath. Ever since the beginning of Callie's pregnancy the two had been working out three times a week together per Addison's advice that Callie should be as active as possible during her pregnancy. They didn't do anything that could break too much of a sweat, but it had apparently helped. "Second of all-" She looked up and realized where they were. "What do you say we forget the photo shoot and relive old times?"

Callie chuckled. Erica would try anything to get out of this. "Sure, we can forget all about it." She began as she made her way over to Erica, giving her 'the look.' As soon as Erica was buying into her act she grabbed the older woman's hand and dragged her out of the room. "As soon as the shoot is over."

"So not what I had in mind."

However, that moment of laughter and happiness was short lived. Callie barley made it past the door when she doubled over in pain.

"Callie what happened?" Erica asked panicked.

"Ow." Callie cried as she fell to the ground. "Erica what's going on?"

"Don't worry sweetie, everything's going to be okay." Erica said in the calmest voice she could manage in that moment. She looked back down the hall for Addison, thankful she was still there. "Addison!"

Callie vaguely heard the clicking of Addison's heels as she ran toward them before everything went black.

* * *

An hour later Callie was resting comfortably after having regained consciousness a few minutes after she was brought into the exam room. Erica was right by her side as she had been since Callie collapsed. Erica continued to stroke Callie's hair and sooth her as best she could. That was all she could do at this point. Everything else was on Callie, as unfair as that was. Now all they could do was wait for Addison to return with the test results.

A knock on the door caused Erica to look up, she waved Fiona in and the brunette quietly entered the room as to not disturb Callie. "Just wanted you to know I'm heading off now. I think we got some very nice pictures in."

Erica was confused. "Am I missing something?"

"I didn't want to disturb you both so I took the pictures from outside." She said gesturing to where she had been standing outside the open door. This room was the room they were planning to use for the shoot and because it was already set-up, Fiona went on with the shoot as if nothing had happened. After all, Fiona was all about being real. You couldn't get any more real than this situation.

"I'll e-mail you the proofs later." She laid a hand on Erica's shoulder. "I hope everything's fine with Callie and the baby."

"Me too." Erica nodded, willing the tears to stay back. "Thanks Fiona."

"Hey anytime." With a final farewell she backed out the doorway, taking one last shot before she went.

As soon as she left, Addison came back into the room with the results to all the test they had done. Callie's eyes flew open. Addison took a seat on the other side of Callie. "Everything looks perfectly normal."

"You call that episode out there normal?" Callie asked.

"Braxton Hicks."

"Braxton Hicks?" Erica asked in disbelief. "Most women don't even feel those."

Addison nodded. "A lot of women don't, but I'm guessing you're little high speed chase down the hallway shook things up a bit. The baby's fine, but this is her way of telling you to slow down. And you need to be eating a lot more than you are. Your blood sugar is dangerously low, which would be why you passed out. I don't want to label it gestational diabetes just yet, but we're going to have to watch you a lot closer now and make sure it doesn't develop into GD." She handed Callie a glucose tablet, making sure the young doctor took the whole thing. "I reduced your hours for a reason, and that reason was not so that you could take the time off and use it to run down hallways and skip meals."

"I wasn't running."

"It was my fault." Erica defended.

"I don't want to hear excuses and I don't care whose fault it was." Addison began, turning back to Callie. "You had a choice and you made it."

Callie was immediately put on the defensive. How dare Addison insinuate that she made a choice to hurt her baby. But Erica spoke first. "You're not talking about the hallway . . . you're talking about having this baby in the first place."

"Addison whats going on?" Callie asked.

"Look, do I wish it was me carrying Mark's child instead of you? . . I'd be lying if I said I didn't. But Callie, you've got to take this seriously."

"What am I not taking seriously? Have I not turned my life upside down for this child? Did I not risk losing the best thing that's ever happened to me by deciding to keep this baby? What am I not taking seriously?"

"If you don't take care of it you'll lose it."

That's when it clicked. "You didn't get an abortion, did you?" Callie asked. "You miscarried."

Addison looked away.

"Why – why would you say that you had an abortion if you didn't?" Erica asked. "You miscarried, it wasn't your fault."

"Only it was." Addison said with as she took a deep breath. "I had just found out I was pregnant, just called Mark and told him he'd knocked me up." She chuckled to herself, then her face dropped. "Then I panicked. I was pregnant with Mark's baby while I was married to Derek. I may have been able to pass the baby off as Derek's, but I had already told Mark and it wouldn't have been fair to the kid to lie to it its whole life, nor Derek or Mark.

"I was so strung out that I couldn't go home and face Derek and I couldn't go to Mark's and face him, so I went to the gym. I went to the gym and worked out for about five hours longer than I should have. I was just barley six weeks pregnant, but I wanted to make sure that Derek couldn't tell that I was pregnant. Not until I'd figured out what to tell him. I spend a good forty-five minutes working on my abs alone."

After a few moments of silence Callie spoke up. "And?" She asked, probing further.

Addison looked back down at Callie's chat hoping for a distraction. "And then I collapsed in the showers and was rushed to the hospital. I woke up with Derek sitting in the chair next to me. He told me that he knew about me and Mark. But you know, I thought, at least I still had the baby. Mark seemed excited about it when I told him so maybe we could be a family.

"Then the doctor came in and told me I'd miscarried. Derek knew it wasn't his. I'd never seen him leave a room so fast."

"I still don't understand." Erica said. "Why didn't you tell Mark the truth?"

"The truth? That I'd been so freaked out at the fact that I was carrying his child that I caused my body to reject the baby too? Do you know what it feels like to have no control over your own body?"

Callie raised her eyebrow.

"Sometimes it's just easier to lie."

* * *

"Erica?"

"Hmm?"

"I know this is a really random time to ask this, but you've never lied to me have you? - Besides that one time." She joked.

"Callie, we are nothing like Addison and Mark."

Callie snuggled deeper into Erica's embrace. "I know." The two were resting in the den in their usual positions on the couch, as they did at night watching whatever new episode was airing on primetime. "But they weren't like this the whole time they were together."

"And we'll never be like them." Erica assured the younger woman with a gentle kiss on the lips. "You trust me?"

"Of course." Callie answered without a second thought. Erica looked deep into her eyes and saw nothing but trust, love, undeniable happiness and complete and total confidence.

"Trust that."

Callie smiled and nodded, turning back to the television. "We need to do something about Mark and Addison though."

"I don't think it's our place to interfere in their relationship."

"Erica, I would hope that if you and I were having problems and losing sight of what we once had that someone would help us. They had something great. We can't let them lose that."

"You're right. But I can't help but think they would be a lot closer if Addison had told Sloan the truth. All that drama in the middle would never have existed."

"Oh, it wouldn't have." She looked back up at Erica. "Erica, promise me that if something bad were to happen to us we'd still be alright."

"We're nothing like them. . . But I promise."

Callie turned back to the TV, then back to Erica. "And no lying."

"No."

"And you still have to love me when I'm nine months pregnant and big as a house or when I look horrible 'cause the baby had me up all night. Like really horrible. Pale and puffy with big dark circles under my eyes and my eyes all red from crying because all I want to do is sleep."

Erica pursed her lips. "Really horrible? I may have to rethink this-"

Callie grabbed the nearest pillow and aimed it right at Erica's head. Erica laughed and tightened her arms around Callie. "I love you Callie. No amount of sleep deprivation is going to change that."

"You bet it won't. You'll be there looking horrible right along with me."

"There's nowhere else I'd rather be."

"Then you'll have to love me 'cause you'll be so ugly no one else will love you. And I'll have to love you 'cause I'll be so ugly no one else will love me. And-"

Erica laughed. "Callie?"

"Yeah?"

"Shut up."

Callie smiled mischievously, but stopped her rambling. A little while later the two carried their exhausted bodies up to bed and were asleep the minute their heads hit the pillows. Today was a long and nerve wracking day and one which the couple hoped not to relive anywhere in the near future.

They had to rest-up. Tomorrow was a new day and they had no way of knowing what fate would throw their way. All they could do was trust that karma wasn't about to make it a soccer punch.


	32. Pick Up

Posting a little earlier than scheduled, but I am working on flooding the board with Callica fics. lol. Just kidding. Seriously though, more Callica fics needed!  
Short chapter this time. Frankly because I'm tired of writing long-ass chapters and needed a little break.  
Sheds some light on Erica's childhood and what made her the way she is. Since the writers won't write for her anymore, I will.

And please don't hate me for what I do at the end.

R&R  
VillageVoice

* * *

"Tell me about your parents." Callie began one day, taking a handful of diapers out of the package and putting them in one of the top drawers of the changing table.

"What do you want to know?"

"Who they were. What they did, what they looked like."

Erica turned away from the crib where she was setting up the bedding they had just taken off and washed . . . again. "They were lawyers. My mother focused on international law and my father was a real estate attorney."

"No doctors?"

"No."

"Why did you want to go into the medical field?"

"Besides Emma?" She asked, using the nickname she had always had for her sister. "Because it was the furthest thing from a lawyer I could get."

Callie nodded sadly. Erica's life couldn't have been easy growing up. She couldn't help but feel a little guilty at having such a privileged upbringing. "What did they look like?"

"Me. Blonde hair, blue eyes, light skin. My grandparents moved here from Germany right before my dad was born."

"The grandparents you lived with?"

"Yeah."

"Can you speak German?"

"Fluently."

"Seriously?"

Erica nodded.

"How did I not know this?"

Erica shrugged.

"What nationality's your Mom?"

"She's German too. She was adopted from Germany when she was two. Her parents were English, German and Scottish I think."

"You think."

"They died before I was born."

"Where did you grow up?"

Erica turned away from the closet where she was now hanging up baby clothes. "Jeeze Callie, would you like a bio?" She asked.

"I just want to know where you come from. We've been together for eight months and you never talk about it."

"And we've got a lifetime to learn everything there is to know about each other."

"I know . . . But we've got nothing to do this afternoon…"

Erica disregarded the bag of clothing still needing to be hung up and crossed to the other side of the room to sit in the rocking chair next to the book case. "I grew up in Camden, Maine. It's this little town right on the ocean. There was a population of about 4,000 back then for all of our 18 square miles of land." She laughed. "My grandparents had a little barn out back. When I was eight they bought me a horse. Lucy, I named her. She was beautiful; big and dark. There were no riding places around so my grandfather and I would drive hundreds of miles to competitions. That's what paid my way through undergrad.

"My Uncle, my father's older brother, would take me out sailing every summer. He felt bad for me. I didn't have many friends and my self esteem was for crap. How much can you believe in yourself when your own parents couldn't stand to look at you?

"Then when my grandparents died I moved to Boston where my parents lived. Stayed there as long as I had to, endured the countless painful tests across the country until I was eighteen and I left for college, never once looking back."

"What happened to your uncle?"

"What do you mean?"

"Is he still alive? You've never mentioned him so I'm assuming you don't talk to him."

"That would be because I don't."

"Why?"

"He started having sex with me when I was fourteen. My grandparents weren't around anymore and he knew my parents wouldn't believe me if I told them." She got up and headed toward the exit, pausing at the door. "We done now?" She didn't even wait for Callie's response as she flew out of the room.

Callie jumped when the front door slammed. "Yeah." Callie decided then and there was ignorance was bliss.

* * *

"Erica, come home. I'm sorry about earlier I shouldn't have asked all those questions. Just please, come home." It was well past midnight and Callie had been leaving more of the same messages since around nine when Erica still hadn't come back. At first Callie had just thought she needed some space to cool off and process everything. Maybe she had gone for a drive to clear her head, after all Callie had told her to if she needed some time alone to take it so she couldn't fault the woman for listening to her.

After two hours of thinking she was just clearing her head Callie started getting this funny feeling. She chalked it up to pregnancy brain and ignored it until two when Erica still wasn't home. "This is crazy, right?" She asked herself as she paced the living room, pausing to look out the window, checking her cell every three seconds. "She's fine."

Then why didn't she feel like she was fine? Erica had promised she would always come home and Erica Hahn kept her promises. Always.

The light from her phone alerted her to a call before it even had a chance to ring. "Erica?"

"No, it's Addison."

"Listen Addison I have to keep this line clear I'm waiting for Erica."

"Callie we need you to come down to the hospital. . . There was an accident."


	33. The Soccer Punch Karma Said Was Coming

**Tonight's Ep: **Didn't see it yet as I live in New England and ABC was taken over by football tonight. That's good though. I hope their ratings go down. I want Brooke back :(

And what would a good story be without drama? In my defense, I wrote this weeks before Brooke Smith's last apperance on Grey's Anatomy (Nov. 6th) - I had no idea that Erica was leaving when I wrote this, nor how she would leave and be written out - or rather not written out.  
Also, I remember someone reqesting that I write in a little Bailey-Callie bonding time, so here it is. Enjoy

Again I apologise for what I do here. Please don't hate me. I was just getting bored waiting for this baby to come, she's a stubborn little thing, so I had to do something. Anyone remember that pain Erica was having during the party? Well here's the cause.  
I also just want to take a minute and thank all those people who have been faithfully reviewing. Thanks so much! It means a lot to me :)

I really like this chapter, hope you guys do too.  
VillageVoice

* * *

Callie had no idea how she got to the hospital, but the minute she walked through the doors everything ran past her so fast it took a while for her to actually hear what was going on.

Accident.  
Head-on collision.  
Totaled.  
Flipped.  
Airbag.  
Ambulance.  
Unconscious.  
Blood.  
Surgery.

Sorry.

"Callie sit down."

Callie pushed Addison away. "No, I have to see her. Where's Erica? I _have to see her_."

"She's in surgery, there's nothing you can do right now."

"I can put some scrubs on and-"

"Callie"

"I'll just stay in the scrub room, I promise. I just need to see her. Addison _please_!"

"Torres." Callie didn't even turn at the Chief's booming authoritative voice. "Dr. Hahn is in surgery." His voice softened. "There's nothing you can do right now but wait. I suggest you take Dr. Montgomery's advice and sit down before I confine you to a bed on the maternity floor."

Still in a daze Callie sat down.

"I need an external fetal heart monitor, an ultrasound machine and a blood kit." She ordered to the nearest intern. "Now!"

"Have you had anymore Braxton Hicks contractions recently? . . Callie? . . Callie . . . Look, I know what you're going through right now sucks, but we need to make sure you're okay."

"I'm fine. The baby's fine."

"No more contractions?"

"No."

"She kicking and moving normally?"

"Yeah."

"When's the last time you felt her kick?"

Callie continued to stare blankly ahead. "Um . . . I . . ."

"That's alright. When's the last time you ate?"

"Around 3."

"Okay. We're going to get you into an exam room and then I'm getting you something to eat. Come on." It didn't take much for Addison to get Callie up, into an exam room and hooked up to the fetal heart monitor. Since Callie's little spill the other day her pregnancy was now categorized as high-risk. Callie was in shock, she didn't even notice when Addison inserted the needle into her arm to draw blood nor the finger prick to check her blood sugar. Her friend was facing something she never even wanted to imagine. The only thing Addison could do to was make sure Callie and the baby were okay. This kind of stress could do anything to Callie in her fragile state. It was Addison's job to look out for her. That's the only thing she could do.

She walked over to the door and looked out into the nearly empty hallway. "Dr. Bailey."

Bailey didn't even bother looking up from her chart. She was always the go-to woman. Whenever someone needed something – anything – they went to her. Sometimes she would just like someone to find their own damn syringes. "Yes Dr. Montgomery? What can I do for you?"

Addison cast one last look at Callie and walked over to Bailey. "Could you watch Callie for me for a minute?"

Bailey simply looked up at Addison. "Watch Dr. Torres? You need me to watch her? Dr. Torres, a thirty-two-year-old woman and a perfectly competent surgeon, you need _me_ to watch _her_?"

"Miranda she just found out about the accident, she's in shock. I'm pretty sure she has gestational diabetes . . . I don't think she should be alone right now-"

"What accident?"

"You haven't heard?" Bailey shook her head in the negative. "Erica was in a car accident. Either the other driver didn't see her or lost control of the car or . . . I don't know, but the car hit her and flipped her car upside down. She's been in surgery for hours now. Callie was just told and I'm worried that with everything going on it . . . it just won't be good for her or the baby and this baby means too damn much to them. So I need you to go in there and sit with her for a while until I come back, because-"

"Is she going to be okay?"

It took Addison a moment to switch gears. When she went on a rant, it took a second or so to stop. "Who?"

"The one who was in a motor vehicle accident." She clarified with perfect articulation. "Is she going to be okay?"

Addison shrugged. "She's been fighting for hours, but it's not looking good. Her car flipped over and she was trapped in it for a while, lost a lot of blood in the field." She lowered her voice. "They . . . they also found a mass in her uterus."

"Cancer?"

Addison nodded. ""So far they don't think it has spread beyond that, but… Between trying to stop the bleeding and putting her back together they have to deal with this too. Maybe she'll be lucky. If the accident doesn't end up killing her, it could have saved her life."

Bailey nodded and made her way to the room Addison had come out of. She paused quickly to see Addison walking away and went into the room.

Callie was still in the same exact spot she had been when Addison left her, staring at the same spot on the wall. Bailey closed the door quietly behind herself, not that Callie would have reacted if she slammed it, and checked the rhythms on the fetal heart monitor for a minute before sitting in the chair next to Callie.

They stayed in perfect silence for a few minutes, the only audible sound coming from the heart monitor until Callie finally spoke. "I don't know what to do."

Bailey looked up at Callie. She felt for her, she really did, but she didn't know what to say. "I don't think anyone really does in these types of situations."

"I can't do it without her. Be a mother, be a . . . do anything without her." She said, her eyes still transfixed on the same spot on the wall. The only difference was now a lone tear was making its way down her pale cheek. Everything had changed since Erica and there was no going back from that. She would not be able to go on without her. "I just keep thinking about Izzie after Denny died. She's never been the same. You never get over it, but you move on, you move forward with your life." Her voice cracked. "I . . . I won't be able to move on. I cannot be Izzie Stevens lying on the bathroom floor."

Bailey got up and stood right in front of Callie. "Listen to me, I don't know Dr. Hahn very well but I do know how much she loves you. Everyone can see it. She doesn't even have to say anything, it's just there. But what I do know about her is that she does not give up. She won't leave you here. I know that right now she is fighting the biggest battle she had ever had to in her life. And she'll come out of this. She loves you too damn much to do that to you."

And just like that all of the walls Callie had been trying to hold up around herself came tumbling down and the floodgates opened with a vengeance. And Bailey was there to catch her.

* * *

Everything came to her slowly. First it was the sounds; the heart monitor, the drip of the IV. Then the feelings; the coldness of the room, the scratchiness of the blanket against her skin, the multiple sore spots over her body from the bruises and the ripping pains from incisions. Then the sights; the brightness of the fluorescent lights forcing her to keep her eyes shut but at the same time trying to stay open.

She opened her mouth a few times to speak, but nothing came out.

"I think she's waking up." A female voice called.

She heard someone else enter the room and move to the side of her bed. "Dr. Hahn can you hear me? Erica? If you can hear me squeeze my fingers."

But Erica didn't have the strength nor the will. She managed one raspy word before she fell back into unconsciousness. "Callie."

Dr. Derek Shepherd turned to his wife. "Find Dr. Torres."

* * *

The next time Erica woke up she had more strength.

"Glad you finally decided to join us Erica."

Erica blinked a few times and the form of "Pretty" as she had once nicknamed him came into focus.

"What-"

"You were in a car accident. We had to remove your spleen, a kidney and part of your liver. The impact of the airbag fractured a rib causing a punctured lung and might have also been what broke your nose but we're not really sure on that. You ruptured a few arteries which we repaired with minimal damage. The big issue though is your head. Because the car flipped over and landed upside down there was considerable damage to your brain. You have a grade 4 concussion and we had place a shunt to relieve the pressure and excess fluid."

He took his little flashlight and shined it in her eyes. "Pupils are slow to react, but that's pretty common with this type of head injury. The rest is just some scratches that had to be stitched up and some bruising that will go away with time. You were very lucky."

Erica just blinded and tried to follow everything he was saying. "Is that it?"

"Ah, no." He motioned for another doctor to come into the room. "This is Dr. James. He's an oncologist."

Erica took the oxygen mask off. "A oncologist?"

"Dr. Hahn, during the course of your surgery we found a mass in your uterus. Test results proved it was cancer."

"Uterine cancer?"

Derek nodded his head slowly. "I'm so sorry Erica."

"Where's Callie?"

"We removed the mass." Dr. James began. "It was fairly small and localized, so we're confident that we got all of it. And it was in the beginning stages. Though just to make sure we would like you to do a few radiation treatments."

Erica shook her head. "Take it out."

"I beg your pardon."

"The uterus, take it out."

"Erica, they got all of it."

"I am not going to sit around doing radiation treatments every other week because some doctor thinks he removed it all. No. And I am not going to risk Callie and the baby's health because radiation is seeping out of my pores. I want it out."

"Erica." Derek pleaded. "You're young, someday-"

"Take it out! Take it out!" Erica screamed. "Take i-"

"Shit, she's seizing."

Dr. Bailey stood outside with Callie, just having brought Callie upstairs on word that Erica was awake and asking for her. "Erica!" Callie cried as she saw Erica's weak body convulsing with each seizure. "No."

* * *

Callie tried to manage a smile through all the emotions that were pulling the edges of her mouth in the opposite direction. "You really scared me there."

Erica reached over and took hold of Callie's hand. "I really scared me."

"Don't do it again."

Erica laughed. "I'll try not to. How about you? Are you okay? And the baby?"

Callie reached up and caressed the side of Erica's face, careful of all the scrapes and bruising. "Yeah. We're good."

Erica leaned into the touch, her own tears making themselves known. "I have cancer."

"Had cancer. They got it all."

"What if they didn't Callie?"

Callie got up and laid down next to Erica on the little hospital bed. She laid her head on Erica's chest, listening to her heart beat, and entwined their fingers over the blonde's stomach. It wasn't that long ago she was told she would probably never be able to hold her again. Never look up and see her beautiful blue eyes. Never hear her laugh, feel her kiss. After a minute or so of just enjoying their closeness and the feel of their hands together she looked up at Erica. "I'll still love you."


	34. I Know

Figured I'd post a little early this week because I just wrote the birth scene and I'm so excited. *squee* Okay I'm better now. Too bad you all are going to have to wait till chapter 41. Dang. That's just too bad.

I don't know why I like picking on Erica so much. I guess it's just easier to pick on her seeing as her character is a bitch and kind of has it coming. Or maybe my muse has a sick and twisted mind. Or maybe I can get into Erica's head better than Callie's...I don't know.  
I feel kind of bad now because of what happened to Brooke Smith being fired and everything, but as much as I love her character, she's still a bitch and has a little bit of it coming.

We've made it to over 300 reviews!!!!! Thanks so much guys!  
VillageVoice

* * *

Erica was released from the hospital two weeks later. There was a little incident with her popping some of her stitches once, but Callie quickly patched them up herself after they were instructed to calm down their sexual activities. Especially while Erica was in the ICU.

Erica still had a minor concussion, but the shunt had been removed four days after the accident and she didn't have any more seizures after that one time, so now it was just a waiting game. Every day she was getting better, stronger. There were still things about the accident she couldn't remember. Like where she had been driving, why she had been there or what the other car looked like. Those memories were not likely to return. She was just glad she hadn't lost any memories that really mattered. She still knew who she was, where she was, how to be a kick-ass cardio God and most importantly she remembered Callie. She remembered Callie, the baby and everything they had built together.

She tried playing a trick on Callie once. Callie came into the room one morning before she had to begin her shift and Erica stared blankly ahead claiming she had no idea who Callie was, or who she was for that matter. Neither Callie nor Dr. Shepherd had found that one very funny.

But for the most part Erica was doing really well. Her sense of humor had certainly returned, her incisions were healing nicely and most of the bruising and scratches were going away. She was doing very well. The Chief had ordered her to take the next two weeks off as well to make sure that everything kept healing as it should. She had protested at first saying she was fine, but then she looked at herself in a mirror and decided maybe a few more days would be best. She looked like she had been in an accident. She had, but she really looked like it. At least the drugs were helping her to not feel like she had been in an accident. But she also needed to be off them before she even thought about picking up a scalpel.

Mocha could hardly contain her excitement when the two came home. "Hey girl." Erica greeted to the overexcited pup. She was six months old now and roughly the size of a German Shepherd. That much weight jumping up on Erica was probably not the best idea.

"Mocha, down." Callie instructed. Mocha immediately obeyed, sitting herself in front of Erica while her rather energetic tail continued to thump against the floor.

Erica reached down to pat Mocha, casting Callie a sideways glance. "Buzz kill."

Callie rolled her eyes. "That bump on the head really makes you think you're funny."

"Maybe."

"Come on Ellen." She joked as she gently pushed Erica toward the stairs. "Time to go put on a show upstairs."

"Ooh. Shepherd did say take it easy."

"Erica Hahn I did not mean it that way and you know it."

"But I probably shouldn't be taking medical advice from someone who goes by the name of Dr. McDreamy." Erica said laughing as if what she had just said was the funniest thing in the world.

Callie stopped mid-step and turned around to Erica. "It's going to be fun dealing with you these next two weeks."

Erica just kept laughing as she passed Callie on the stairs and went into their bedroom.

"Do I need to start counting your pills?"

* * *

Erica was not enjoying this "little vacation" as the Chief so kindly coined it. To her it felt more like jail. Callie wouldn't let her leave the bed, never mind the house. Callie got to go to work every morning and return every night, occasionally going to the store or out with Addison or Izzie for a bit before coming home while Erica got to sit and watch re-runs and daytime talk shows.

"Hey." Callie greeted as she entered the room, shedding her shoes and joining Erica on the bed. "How was your day?"

"Oh, it was great. There's so much to do sitting here all day." She pressed a button on the remote and turned the TV off. "Do you have any idea what kinds of shows are on during the day?"

Callie scooted over and cuddled up against Erica. "I'm sorry Erica. I know this sucks."

Erica lifted an eyebrow, but put her arm around Callie nonetheless. "You know do you?"

"Yes." Callie sighed. "I don't like it when you're not at the hospital. I miss you when you aren't there."

Erica smiled and leaned over to place a gentle kiss on Callie's lips, one that was eagerly reciprocated. "I just hate not being able to do anything."

Callie laughed. "It's been three days."

"Three days of nothing."

"Erica you've got to take care of yourself before you can take care of anyone else. I will not react favorably if I have to go through what I went through two weeks ago again. Do you really want to do that to me again?"

"You have this amazing ability to make every little thing about you."

Callie chuckled and snuggled closer up against Erica. "I hate seeing you like this." She admitted. "I don't like to see you in pain or hurting when there is nothing I can do to help you. And I really don't like it when I don't see you all day or hear your name called over the loudspeakers or hear you yelling at Christina three floors away." Had Callie not been so completely heartbroken she would have actually found that last bit funny. "I just want to page you 911 but then I remember you're not there."

Erica kissed the top of Callie's head. "I know. . . But think of the alternative. I could be six feet under."

Callie looked up. "Not funny."

She pulled Callie in closer. "I'll be back. Eleven more days. Then you can page me 911 whenever you want and I'll come running."

"But just . . . if you need more time, take it. I'd rather not see you at work for a month than have to spend my nights sleeping in the ICU again." Her voice cracked. "Or taking our daughter and visiting your grave."

"I will do everything I can to make sure that doesn't happen."

Callie smiled. "I know." She gave Erica one last kiss then got off the bed and went over to the dresser to change into something more comfortable. No matter how many times she keeps ordering bigger scrubs, the minute she gets them she needs a bigger size. "I asked the Chief if I could start my maternity leave early."

"And?"

"He said no. Said it was best that you had some alone time."

"What does being alone have to do anything?"

"Not being alone so much as not being with me." She turned to face Erica. "We did bust your stitches once already."

"Oh yeah."

"He said you needed this time to fully recover. And I'm going on maternity leave in three weeks so I couldn't really push it with him already giving us extra time once the baby's born."

"I still think I'd do that a hell of a lot better with you here." Erica pouted.

Callie crawled back into bed, now clad in a nice pair of roomy pajamas and resumed her position by Erica. "I know. Which is why I'm taking Monday off."

"Callie Torres, you slacker."

"Hey, it's not my fault. Addison has me chained to my office sitting on my ass all day. There's nothing for me to do there anymore. Besides, the baby wants a long weekend."

Erica put her hand on Callie's belly. The baby was kicking away. "She does huh?"

"A-huh. She told me so. She wasn't kicking so much today, so I went to see Addison. She had this weird theory and told me to go home. She sure seems to be making up for it now though."

A look of concern crossed Erica's face. "What was her theory?"

"That we missed you – she missed you. She's so used to hearing your voice it was weird for her not to hear it all day." She put her hand over Erica's. "But she's obviously fine now."

Erica smiled and leaned down to kiss Callie's belly. "I missed you too baby." Then she came back up to Callie and kissed her. "I really missed you."

Callie took her other hand and brought Erica in for another kiss. "I missed you too. I love you. It really scares me just how much I love you. I don't know what I'd do if something happened to you."

"I know. But nothing's going to happen to me – nothing more is going to happen to me." She corrected." For once in my life I am going to just do nothing. I am going to lay here watching really bad ER re-runs and Montel running paternity tests for the 5th and 6th times and not move until I am back to 110%. I promise."

Callie sighed and closed her eyes, safe in the arms of the one she loved. "I know."


	35. Fairy Tales

**Tonight's Ep: **All I can say is bad, bad, bad interns. I hope they all get into trouble, but trouble's a relative term at Seattle Grace. I think Sadie should book some time with Dr. Wyatt, and Izzie too. Was kind of sad Callie wasn't in this episode much, but I'm chosing to believe that she was off on a secret vacation with Erica. But does anyone else think that her whole conversation with Bailey was paving the way for her exit? It is rumored that Sara Ramirez is leaving around episode 15 or 16. I dunno...

Thank-you all for staying with me through all these chapters. I know you are all just waiting for this baby to come. After all if you have been counting, Callie only has a few weeks left to go.

VillageVoice

* * *

Callie came home around the same time the next day, but this time Erica wasn't staring blankly ahead at the TV screen. She had the phone pinned between her shoulder and her ear with books and papers and diagrams scattered all over the bed.

"What are you doing?" Callie asked.

Erica put her hand over the receiver. "Surgery." She removed her hand. "Alright, so once you've removed the blockage you need to switch over to complete bypass-"

Callie smiled and went back downstairs. She couldn't complain really. Erica was still lying in bed resting like the doctors told her and as she had promised. Callie hadn't really expected her to stay out of surgery for two weeks. The phone was a smart way of doing it though.

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

The next night went relatively the same way. Callie got home, went up to the bedroom and again saw Erica sitting there on the phone with books, papers and diagrams all over the bed.

"More surgery?" She asked.

"No."

"Then what are you doing this time?"

"Buying a car."

Callie shook her head.

"Mine was totaled, I need a new one."

"What's it going to be tomorrow? Phone sex?"

"Now why would I need a phone when you're right here?" She put her hand over the receiver. "Besides, I call the hospital to see when you're busy. That's when I make my sex calls."

"Erica Hahn!"

"What? I'm obviously kidding."

"You're pushing it."

"What else is new?"

Callie shook her head and sat down on the edge of the bed next to where Erica was lying. She glimpsed at the night stand and saw the half-empty bottle of painkillers. It wasn't alarming, it actually appeared that she was taking the required dosage, but that meant that Erica was in more pain than she was letting on – a lot more. "What kind of car?"

"You know that one in the commercial with that woman who looks a lot like Addison?"

"A Cadillac? Impressive."

"I have an impressive job; I should have an impressive car. Deep red with a dark leather interior. I thought leather would be best with the baby. It would be a lot easier to clean spit-up off of leather than cloth."

"You have too much time to think."

"You think?" Erica asked sarcastically. "If I have to watch another horribly inaccurate ER episode I just might hang myself."

"Please don't."

"I don't know." Erica shrugged. "I just might."

"Does Mocha need a walk?"

"Probably not. I had Luke walk her around one." Luke lived next door. He was a reasonably responsible fourteen-year-old. "He had the day off for some parent-teacher conferences or something. I'm not really sure."

"He was probably skipping."

"Maybe." Erica shrugged and took a minute to check back in with the phone. She was still on hold.

Callie looked at the clock on the nightstand. It was almost 8. "She could probably use another one. Want to come with?"

Erica's eyes lit up like a little kid's on Christmas morning. "Really?"

"Yeah. It's been five days. Shepherd and James didn't say you needed to stay in bed all day, just to take it easy. We won't go for a long one. I just thought it would be nice to take her for a walk together like we used to."

Erica hung up the phone and took Callie's hands in hers. "Things will go back to normal."

"No they won't. By the time you're fully recovered I'll be on maternity leave. Then the baby will come and nothing will be like it used to be."

This was a reoccurring theme with Callie. It wasn't that she particularly disliked change, she didn't really like it either, but she always felt like she was missing something. In this case it was time with Erica. Not being able to be in the OR anymore she felt like she was missing all the good surgeries and time spent working toward becoming an attending. She even felt that she was missing valuable time every time she closed her eyes and went to sleep.

"Okay, so it won't be like it used to." She made Callie look up at her. "It'll be better. We'll be another month stronger in our relationship, we'll have a daughter, be all that much closer to getting married."

Callie smiled. "You make it sound like a fairy tale."

"Who says it's not?"

Callie rolled her eyes, but leaned in for a kiss anyway. "You're such a closet romantic."

"Hey, what did I say about closets?"

Callie shook her head, she had no idea.

"They're for clothes, not people. Now come one, I believe someone promised a walk."

* * *

"Dr. Hahn. I hadn't expected to see you here for another few days."

Erica took her hand away from the elevator button and looked over to see "Pretty" leaning against the admitting desk. "Dr. Shepherd." She greeted walking over to the neurosurgeon. "And I'm not here. Callie and I have an appointment to see that daycare downstairs at two. I thought I'd come a little early so we could get lunch."

"Ah. How's everything going?"

"Great."

"We have an appointment tomorrow right?"

"Yes."

"When's your next appointment with Dr. James?"

"Right after our appointment downstairs."

"Good luck. I hope everything goes well."

"Thanks." She stood by the desk, almost rooted to the spot, as Derek turned and walked away. After a minute she looked down at her feet. "Me too."

* * *

"As you can see, this is the play area. We divide it into two areas. There's the first which is primarily for those under two, two and a half. The second side is for the older kids as there are some smaller toys and things over and our school age children who need care after school and during school breaks when their parents still have to work."

Callie and Erica looked around the massive room. It must've been a whole wing at one time. It was so big and bold and colorful. There were so many toys and games. No wonder the kids never want to leave.

"And down this hall are our napping rooms for the little ones. We like to keep them out here with us until they're a year, just to be safe. Then we put them in these rooms where it's a little quieter when they get older, or until they don't sleep out here with us anymore. When they graduate to the older side, however, they get their own mats and sleep out here with the rest of the kids."

Erica took a quick glance down the hall and then joined Callie and the woman, who she didn't think actually introduced herself, in the eating area. There was a cute little round table with a bunch of little blue chairs around it.

"As you can see, we have a full working kitchen down here. When your child starts eating solid foods, we will provide all of that, unless of course you want to and in that case that's fine too. Just until then we need to you supply the formula or breast milk, whichever you choose, and baby food once…he/she?"

"She." Callie answered.

"Once she starts on that. We also supply all the diapers and other things like that. All we ask from you is to provide her bottles and whatever you are planning on feeding her, and a few changes of clothes to leave here so we can change her if need be." She moved over to the entrance of the daycare. "Each child gets their own little cubby, where they put their extra clothes and anything else they will need, and they put their shoes on top of their cubbies here and they each get a hook above for their jackets.

"Of course we encourage you to bring whatever she may need with her. Pacifiers, a special blanket or toy." Then she led the two over to a couch and motioned for them to sit while she grabbed a folder and sat down on the chair across for them. "Everything is in here." She handed the folder to Callie. "Once you decide you want her here, you just have to fill these forms out along with the father."

Erica and Callie stopped leafing through the folder and looked up at each other than the woman. "Um."

"And we'll need both of your schedules, cell and pager numbers, that sort of thing along with the rest of the paper work. We're open 6am-6pm. We know doctors, especially surgeons have long and unpredictable hours so if you are going to have to drop her off early or pick her up late all we ask is that you call."

Callie went to say something, but was cut off. "And we would like to know who will be picking the child up, you or the father. And if someone other than the two of you are to be picking her up, we just ask that you let us know and we'll ask to see some ID when they get here."

"Here's the thing" Erica began.

"We would also like to meet the father before the little one starts so that we will know who he is and make sure he goes home with the right baby." She chuckled. Callie and Erica just stared at her. It wasn't natural to smile that much or be that oblivious.

"There is no father." Callie said.

"Oh."

"It's long and complicated and I don't know you well enough to go into it." Apparently the daycare was cut off from the mainstream gossip of the hospital. "Erica and I are raising the baby together."

"Oh, that's nice. Are you the aunt?"

Erica shook her head incredulously. "Not even close."

"No, we're together." She still didn't get it.

"Is there someone else who works here?" Erica asked, looking around. They had a staff of seven who worked in shifts. Three in the morning, three in the afternoon with smiley here working the whole day. She looked up and noticed a blonde woman walk by and quickly glance in their direction before continuing her walk by.

"They're a couple Denise."

Apparently she did have a name. Denise took a second, looking from Callie to Erica a few times before she caught on. "Oh." She began, her eyes going wide. "How very twenty-first century."

Erica all but died trying to keep herself from laughing.

"We're not really sure right now, but we're thinking she would start when she's about three months. I have nine weeks maternity leave once she's born and Erica is taking the first couple of weeks off as well, so after that I'll stay home and finish out the rest of my maternity leave and then Erica is taking the two weeks after that off to stay with her. We'd like to keep her home until she's four months, but Erica's an attending and I'm on my last year of residency." Callie looked over at Erica.

"We're just trying to work things out." Erica continued from where Callie left off. "There's a chance Callie's parents may fly up and watch her during the day for a while, but . . . we'll see."

The woman just continued to smile. "How nice."

* * *

Erica could not contain her laughter once they left the daycare. "That was . . ."

"Ridiculous?" Callie offered, laughing herself.

"I mean, what rock does that woman live under?"

"I have no idea."

"Maybe we should ask her." Erica said as they came to an office door. "There's plenty I would like to not hear right now."

Callie noted the extreme mood change and looked up at where they were.  
WILLIAM JAMES, M.D.  
ONCOLOGY  
She took Erica's hand. "Everything's going to be fine."

Erica kept staring at the door. "How do you know that?"

Callie smiled and with one hand turned Erica's face so that she was looking into her crystal blue eyes. "I have a feeling." She pulled Erica closer and placed a short, gentle kiss on her lips. "Let's go."


	36. Swimming Pools

**Tonight's Ep: **Re-run, which I'm not even going to attempt to watch because there's an all-day House marathon that has my attention. HAPPY TURKEYLURKEY DAY!!! Or maybe that's just what my grandfather calls it. Hmm . . . Happy THANKSGIVING people! Or if you don't live in the US happy THURSDAY . . . or FRIDAY depending on what time zone you're in. Posting this a little early because I had a lot of turkey today and I'm not sure how much longer I'll be awake tonight.

More of Addison in this chapter and a little baby name talk.  
Also, I have no knowledge of radiation treatments and do not claim too. This is just how it all goes in my own little world.

Dealing with an extreme case of writers block nowadays. I don't really know what to do now that I've already written the birth. I'm thinking that I'll keep this going until the wedding. Then I'll end it and bring the sequel in beginning a year or a few later. Feel free to let me know your thoughts.

VillageVoice

* * *

"Why do I still need to do radiation if everything's clean?" Erica asked.

Dr. James turned away from the x-ray box where he was looking at the PET scan of Erica's lower abdomen and grabbed the test results off the desk. "Because you know as well as I do that we have no way of knowing whether the cancer is gone for good. We need to start right away to kill any cancerous cells that were not removed when we removed the mass." He sat down in the chair next to the exam table. "And we need to start right away."

Erica blinked away the tears. "Callie's not going to let me do this alone."

"It's not safe Erica." The older doctor shook his head. "Do you have somewhere you can stay?"

Erica nodded. Addison and Mark were going down to LA next week and she didn't think they would have a problem letting her use their house. Good thing they had a guestroom, because there was no way she was sleeping in a bed Mark Sloan had sex in, and by the sound of things, a lot of sex in.

"Okay. We're going to hit it fast and we're going to hit it hard. I've scheduled you for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday-"

"I can't."

"You just said-"

"I will do it. I just can't do Monday or Tuesday. We have our nine month pregnancy shoot Monday and Tuesday is our last birthing class."

"I can push back Monday, but not Tuesday. I'll reschedule for Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday."

"I'll be radioactive the whole weekend."

"Not the whole weekend. You should be fine Sunday. Dr. Hahn . . . you need to do this. Sooner, rather than later."

* * *

"I'm _going_ with you and you _are _staying home."

Erica looked up from the bag she was packing to take to Addison and Mark's. "Callie it's not safe."

"I don't care. You're not doing this alone."

"It's only a few days."

"A few days now, a few more days in a month…Erica." Callie sat down next to the bag Erica was packing on the bed and pulled Erica to her. "I am not going to let you do this alone. We made a commitment. . . I want to be there."

Erica let herself be pulled over so that she was standing between Callie's legs. She ran her fingers through Callie's long, dark hair. "I can't let you do this."

"I'll wear a lead bodysuit if I have to."

"Cal-"

"Please Erica." Callie begged. "I need to be there. I have to be there. I can't – I can't just sit here and wait while you're in the hospital getting poison shot straight at you through a machine. I can't do that."

Erica took Callie in her arms and just held the younger woman as she cried. Callie couldn't do it and even though Erica knew Callie shouldn't, she couldn't ask her too. "I'll call James and see if we can try a different type of radiation that would be safe for you to be around."

Callie simply nodded against Erica's stomach and pulled the blonde in closer. Erica took a deep breath and took a step back, looking deep into Callie's eyes. Neither needed to say anything, they knew already. They were scared. Erica was scared that the cancer may still be there. She couldn't leave Callie and the baby. She was too young, she had too much to do, so many years she wanted to spend with Callie. Callie was petrified. Erica couldn't die. She wouldn't be able to go on without her.

Erica brought a hand to Callie's cheek and rubbed the pad of her thumb across the soft skin just as she had all those months ago in the elevator. She never would have thought from that one kiss that all of this would happen. Callie smiled and leaned into the touch, bringing a smile to Erica's face as well. Forgetting all about packing and leaving, Erica walked around to her side of the bed and laid down, gently guiding Callie down into her arms. Everything was fine. As long as they were together, everything would be fine.

* * *

There was a long silence between the two. Since Addison moved back to Seattle, she and Erica had become really good friends. There was nothing Erica couldn't share with Callie, but she just needed a third part to talk to.

"I'm scared." It took a great deal for the cardiothoracic surgeon to admit this to herself, let alone anyone else. "I just keep thinking five years down the line with Callie and our daughter standing beside my grave as they lower me into the ground."

"Erica, it's perfectly natural to be scared. You wouldn't be human if you weren't."

"I can't do that to them."

Addison put a supportive hand over her friend's. "You won't."

"What if I lose my hair?"

"Then you don't have to worry about protecting your hair from the Seattle rain." Addison joked. "This type of radiation doesn't typically make you lose the hair . . . on your head."

Erica raised an eyebrow. That could be interesting. "I don't even really care about that. I just – I don't want to drag Callie through this if …" She trailed off. She was a doctor. She told people and their loved ones that they were dying all the time. But it was another thing entirely to be facing her own mortality.

"Erica, nothing is certain in life. You could be totally cancer free, but walk out the doors of this hospital and get hit by a car."

"That's comforting."

"All I'm saying is none of us know when our time is up. But it's better to spend that time with people we love rather than closing ourselves off waiting for the worst case scenario."

"I'm a surgeon. We're trained to look at the worst case scenario."

"I know. But right now this has got nothing to do with Erica the surgeon. Erica the surgeon is dead – Okay, bad choice of words."

Erica laughed.

"This isn't happening to Erica the world famous 'Cardio God' if I hear correctly. It's happening to Erica the woman. The woman who has a home and family. She has someone who loves her more than her own life. Callie would die for you Erica. So fight this. Fight this for her."

* * *

"Okay Dr. Hahn, I'm going to need you to stay perfectly still." Dr. James instructed through an intercom as he finished calibrating the exact parameters for the radiation. "We don't want to accidentally fry your liver."

Erica looked over at the older, slightly overweight, balding doctor. Was that supposed to be funny?

"What do you not understand about the word 'still' Dr. Hahn?" Erica turned her head back to where it had been and resisted the urge to laugh at Callie. "Sorry Dr. Torres. I wasn't aware we were starting yet."

"Okay Erica, you ready?" James asked, totally ignoring the banter between Callie and Erica.

Erica closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Ready."

With the push of a button Dr. James began the first of Erica's radiation treatments. "I'll be back in half an hour. Make sure she doesn't move." He said to Callie before leaving through the back door. Callie looked through the glass at Erica. She had fought tooth-and-nail to be able to be in the room, and had grudgingly agreed to stay behind the partition and wear a lead apron just to be safe. It was either that or nothing, so she cut her losses.

Erica looked so vulnerable lying there on that cold metal table, only a thin hospital gown protecting her from the world. She was pale, but she'd pretty much always been so that wasn't it. It was the look in her eyes. She was scared. Erica Hahn was scared and that scared the crap out of Callie. Erica was always the one to put on a brave face and tell her things were going to be alright and if she was scared…

"You know there's a bet going?" Callie began needing to break the deafening silence.

"About what?"

"About how much longer I can go until I 'drop' the baby."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I hear there's a pretty good pay out for the winner too."

"Do people at this hospital have nothing better to do with their time?"

"Apparently not." Callie chuckled to herself. She didn't want to make Erica laugh, she needed to stay as still as death. "So I was thinking..."

"About?" Erica probed.

"We have four weeks until this baby comes; we need to seriously think about what we're going to name her."

"Oh yeah."

"We need to narrow down out name pool."

"Okay, so how 'bout you take one name off my list you don't like and I'll take one off yours."

Callie nodded and thought for a minute. "Kathryn."

"You don't like Kathryn?"

"Everyone will be calling her Katie and that's just…eh. Too dumb blonde cheerleader for me."

Erica tried not to laugh. She could just imagine the look on Callie's face. "Okay fair enough. Hallie."

"Hallie?"

"Really Callie? Callie, Hallie…Hallie, Callie. It's a little too cutsie for me."

"I didn't even think about that."

… … … … … … … … … … …

Thirty minutes later they were still debating over names. "I'm sorry." Callie laughed. "But that one just has to go."

"I was really pulling for that one." Erica sighed, she'd lost this argument. "Fine, but Christina is gone too." Callie tried to object, but Erica beat her to it. "And no we're not going to call her Tina or Nina or Chrissy or some other lame attempt to cover up the name because the fact still remains that if we named her Christina her legal name would still be Christina."

"I've had this name picked out long before I met Christina Yang."

"It's still a no."

Callie leaned back in the chair. "So that only leaves …"

"Yeah."

"You don't think people will think we're idiots for naming her after-"

As if on clock work, the good doctor returned. "I see everyone is still doing well." He interrupted as he took a seat beside Callie and spoke into the intercom. "And how are we doing Dr. Hahn?"

"Oh just great. Never better."

Dr. James pushed a few buttons and the machine powered down. "I'm going to ask you to lie there for a few minutes to give your body some time to catch-up, then I'd say you're good to go." He took his hand off the intercom button and turned to Callie. "So, I uh…I heard you two discussing names?"

"Are you serious?" Callie asked. "There's a pool going for that too?"

James shrugged. "What else have we got to do around here?"

"God forbid we treat patients." Came Erica's reply from the other side of the partition. Dr. James turned back to Erica's chart and tried to hide the embarrassmen painted so perfectly on his bright red face.


	37. Life on the D List

**Tonight's Ep: **I wanted to slap Callie so bad. I had a good backhand all ready for her. What was she thinking? Sadie, really? I like how when she was talking to mark though she said she was making it all up 'cause she was lonely and whatknot. The rest of the episode was actually kind of good. Kay Panabaker, the brain dead girl's sister, was amazing as always. Dr. Dixon needs to go b/c she creeps me out. Izzie needs to stop sleeping with dead people and go with Alex because for once he's actually acting like a human being. And Meredith and Christina need to stop fighting. it makes me sad. Ok - There's my two cents worth.

On to the story - After everything I've put these two through I decided a nice little fluffy chapter was in order.  
I also know first hand how a concussion can radically change your life and personality, so I'm working on exploring this new post-accident Erica.  
Also, I was watching a lot of Kathy Griffin while writing this, hence the D-List.

I really love this chapter, so  
R & R  
VillageVoice

* * *

"Okay," Erica said, zipping a very full duffle bag on the bed. "The hospital bag is packed."

"You pack the baby clothes?" Callie asked from the shower.

Erica rolled her eyes. "Oh, was I supposed to pack that too?"

"Oh, you're hilarious." She called, closing the shower curtain. "Did you put the car seat in your car?"

"No Callie, I thought we'd leave her there and visit her on breaks."

"Hey!" Callie said, opening the shower curtain once again.

Erica moved to the bathroom door so that she could see Callie. "Was there anything more to that thought?"

Callie looked confused. "There was." She brought her head back into the shower and shut the curtain. Erica laughed and went back into the bedroom to grab the bag and put it into her new car. With the birth of their daughter merely three weeks away, she wanted to be prepared.

"Erica?"

Erica turned away from the bedroom door, duffle bag slung on her shoulder. "Yeah?"

"Could you come here for a minute?"

"Yeah." She put the bag back down in the bed and went into the bathroom and over to where Callie had her head poking out from behind the shower curtain. "Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, um…" She chuckled to herself, looking down suddenly finding the mat in front of the shower extremely fascinating. "This might be a little awkward, but . . . could you shave my legs for me?"

"What?"

"Erica, I haven't been able to see my legs for weeks and I feel really gross. I'm big and fat and extremely pregnant and this would make me feel a tiny bit better. Please?"

Erica held her hand out for the razor. Callie tentatively put it in her hand and stuck her leg out of the shower. Erica sat on the toilet, which was right next to the shower and brought the razor to Callie's leg. "You know, I think this officially marks a new point in our relationship."

* * *

"I like that one." Callie said as she pointed to a picture on Erica's laptop. Fiona had been a bit backlogged with the Holidays and everyone wanting new shots of her kids for the New Year that it had taken her a while to get back to them with the proofs of their eight month shoot.

Erica enlarged the image. "I don't know. There's something-" She was interrupted by the sound of her e-mail alerting her to a new e-mail. Not knowing whether it was something about a patient or whatnot she momentarily abandoned their picture search and opened her e-mail. "It's from Fiona."

"The pictures from our nine month shoot?"

Erica shrugged. "I don't know."

_Hey Girls-_

_Sorry it's taken me so long to get these to you, but it's been a little busy around here. I promise when the little one is born I will make you guys, or girls, my first priority. I included the link to the proofs from your nine month pics as well as one I forgot from you eighth. Well I didn't really forget it. I took it and cleaned it up a bit because in my opinion, it's the best of them and you should pick it. Not that I'm pressuring you or anything, but it's beautiful._

_Hope the little one's still cooking & Erica I hope you continue to get better!  
Just e-mail me and let me know which pictures you chose and I'll put the order in.  
Fiona_

Erica clicked the link below the e-mail and opened up the newest pictures. Neither Callie nor Erica were feeling very well that day so they had done another on-location shoot at their house. The nesting stage was deeply imbedded at this point, so Erica probably wouldn't have been able to get Callie out of the house anyway. Callie was wearing this really pretty darkish plum colored v-neck faux wrap maternity sweater that made her look absolutely radiant along with her favorite pair of dark stone wash jeans that she hadn't worn for the past month and would never ever wear again.

Erica had picked some random thing out of her closet and ended up with a deep green colored ¾ sleeve sweater with a pair khakis that may or may not have been washed since the last time she wore them. However, it all went so nicely with the bruising on her nose still healing from the break. Thankfully that was the last of the visible reminders from the accident. Well that and some minor scaring on her abdomen, but that could all be hidden.

They did the shoot in the baby's room in front of the crib with Callie holding the little fuzzy stuffed brown and white cow Erica had bought Callie when Callie had first moved in with her. It was corny and sweet and Fiona ate it up. They had settled on the picture they wanted even before they saw the proofs because when Fiona took it it just felt right. It was shot a little below the belly up, as to show how big Callie had gotten these past nine months, and it went all the way up the back wall where they had placed the letters that spelled out the baby's name with little butterfly and flower decals around it. Everything was ready. All they needed was the baby.

Then Erica clicked on the link to the other pic Fiona sent along and popped the picture up on the screen.

"I love it." Callie immediately said, putting her arm through Erica's and leaning her head on the blonde's shoulder.

This was _the_ shot. Neither remembered Fiona taking the picture, but to be fair they hadn't really remembered her taking any shots that day. This was the shot Fiona took after she had said bye to Erica and was leaving. It was taken on the diagonal, showing Callie lying on the hospital gurney with Erica on the opposite side sitting in the chair. Callie was looking intently at Erica who was looking back at her with her right hand up by Callie's forehead brushing a stray hair away and her left hand and Callie's right entwined in the space between then.

They say a picture said a thousand words, but there was so much more in this picture. With that one look you could tell so much. You could see the love and passion these two women had for each other, everything they'd been through and just how deep their connection with each other truly went.

Erica was in the middle of sending an e-mail back to Fiona when another e-mail from the photographer popped up.

_p.s. This pic is going in my portfolio._

Erica couldn't help but laugh. "This woman is making way too much money off of us."

"I don't blame her. We do look pretty good in print. We're like the best of the surgical D-List."

"Hey, I am a world renowned cardiothoracic surgeon. I have patients flying in from other countries so they can have me as their doctor. I am far from any kind of D-List."

Callie chuckled and snuggled in closer. "I know sweetie, I know."

"I've been on the cover of a magazine."

"Oh I know. It's in a frame hanging in our office."

"I'll be on another one. There are talks."

"I know."

"No I'm serious. I got a call two days ago from-"

Callie nodded and sat-up. "You wanna have sex?"

And that was the end of Erica's rant.

* * *

"Dr. Hahn, good to see you back."

Erica put her keys in her purse then looked up at Dr. Webber. "Richard." She greeted. "It's good to be back."

"Is this a rental?" He said, motioning to the new car that was in her spot.

"No. That's my new car."

"Very nice. Your insurance must have gone through the roof."

"Not really. It went up because it's red, then it went down because it's new." Erica couldn't believe they were standing in the middle of the parking lot discussing car insurance. "Is there something you wanted Richard?"

"Oh no, no. Just came out to make sure everything's alright."

"You came out to the parking lot to wait for me to make sure everything was alright?" She started walking toward the building.

Webber turned and walked right alongside Erica. "You do know that you're the first attending here to have a child?"

"No, I wasn't aware of that."

Webber nodded. "Well you are. First in a while actually, and-"

"You do know it's illegal for an employer to ask if you have children right?"

"I'm just saying Erica that with your work load-"

"And it's illegal to discriminate because an employee has or is planning to have children?"

"Now Erica-"

Erica stopped just outside the front doors. "And it's illegal to discriminate because an employee is gay. So, if you say anything even remotely close to replacing me or reducing my hours or my surgeries or even moving my parking space further away I will go to whichever organization will hear me. And believe me the mothers and the lesbians, especially the lesbian mothers, would not paint this hospital too kindly in the press. And I don't think Seattle Grace can afford to go any further down the list."

"I was just thinking with your recent accident-"

"Oh." Erica began as if she had just remembered. "It's also illegal to discriminate due to an injury or disability."

The Chief smiled. "Welcome back Dr. Hahn."

"Good to be back Chief."

* * *

"He didn't?!" Addison exclaimed.

"Oh he did." Erica replied laughing.

"The Chief's really growing a pair." Callie added with a bite of her lunch. The trio had met up for lunch in the hospital cafeteria seeing as Addison and Erica were working and Callie was on her maternity leave so could very well do whatever she pleased.

"Dr. Montgomery, Dr. Hahn, Dr. Torres." The Chief greeted. "I never expected you two to be participating in office gossip." He said, looking at Addison and Erica.

"We're not Chief." Addison explained. They'd so been caught.

"Just the facts." Erica added, trying not to laugh.

"Hey, what about me?" Callie asked. All three other doctors just stared at her for a minute. "Fair enough."

"And how's the maternity leave going Dr. Torres?"

"Great. I sit around getting bigger by the day, I haven't seen my feet in weeks, I can't go twenty minutes without having to pee, I can't remember anything and I'm home alone all day."

"Is that all?"

"It's fine I guess."

"Glad to hear it. Just remember that you have twelve weeks maternity leave and you've decided to take three weeks before your dude date, so that leaves nine after the baby's born."

Erica cleared her throat and Dr. Webber looked away from the group. "I'll see you all later."

They at least had the decency to wait until he was out of the room before the entire table erupted into laughter.


	38. Promises

Just felt the extreme need to post tonight. The Callica fics here are extremely limited, so we needed another chapter. People don't write much Callica nowadays :( *hint hint* Also, with there being no new Grey's episodes 'till January, don't expect me to continue posting every Thursday.

Poor Callie. I really do feel bad for her with everything going on. There was Erica's accident and her crazy pregnancy hormones are making her a little more clingy than she normally is. Poor girl

Reviews appreciated  
VillageVoice

* * *

"Callie go back to sleep."

"How do you do that?" Callie asked. Erica was sleeping, in a seemingly peaceful slumber, how did she know Callie was watching her?

"Callie." Erica didn't move a muscle nor open an eye. "Go back to sleep."

Callie moved the hair away from Erica's face and planted a gentle kiss on the corner of her mouth. "I love you."

Erica turned over to check the clock on the night table then turned back so that she was again facing Callie. "It's 2:30 in the morning. I have a heart transplant on a sixteen-year-old in less than five hours."

"I just want you to know."

Erica grudgingly opened an eye. "Five hours Cal."

"I know." Callie looked down.

Erica sighed and sat-up, leaning against the headboard and pulling Callie into her arms. The surgery she could push back. No words were exchanged. Erica just wordlessly rocked Callie back and forth, playing with her hair and occasionally planting a loving kiss on her cheek until Callie shared whatever it was that was bothering her.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Tell you what?"

"A cancerous mass isn't something that just pops up overnight Erica. You had to be in pain."

Erica smoothed Callie's hair down and planted a kiss on Callie's head. "It's over Callie."

"No it's not. Not for me it's not. Months Erica. . . Months. How could you go around with this thing growing inside you for months and not tell me that you were in pain? I can't be Izzie Stevens Erica. She is much stronger than I am. After Denny died . . . sure she still sees him sometimes, but she kept living. I can't. I won't be able to live in a world you're not in. Not anymore.

"Maybe this means that I have an unhealthy dependence on you – dependence isn't the right word. I don't care. I love you Erica. I have never loved someone like this before and it scares the hell out of me. I had to watch your eyes roll into the back of your head as your body convulsed and seized right in front of me."

Erica looked through her own tears and pulled Callie in closer than she ever had. "Calliope Iphegenia Torres, you listen to me and you listen to me good. I am sorry that you had to see that. I am sorry that I didn't tell you I was in pain. I am sorry that I have no idea what I was doing driving on that road that night and I am sorry that I got into the accident and potentially changed myself for the rest of my life." She pushed Callie away enough so that she was looking right at her, deep into her eyes. "And I am sorry that I can't promise that it will never happen again, that I can't promise that we will be able to grow old together and die warm in our own bed when we're ready."

When she pulled away Callie took her face and brought her in for another kiss, their salty tears mixing together. "I don't want you to promise me that." She pulled away and brought her own hand to Erica's face to wipe her tears. "I just want you. Promise me that I will always have you."

Erica took Callie's hand from her cheek and brought it to her lips, gently kissing the darker palm. "That I can promise."


	39. Daring

**Tonight's Ep: **Is going to be a re-run. "Brave New World" but I recommend watching it as Erica is still in it and it's the episode with her and Callie's first date, which in my opinion, is really really cute.

Dun Dun Dun Dun . . . we're in the home stretch guys, well Callie is at least. And I know I already posted a story with this song in it, but I LOVE it. Sara Ramirez has too much talent for one person if you ask me. If you haven't heard this song, I **_HIGHLY_** recommend it. It is seriously my favorite song right now. Anyway, I don't own _'It Almost Felt Like Love' _which is sung by Sara Ramirez in _This Ordinary Thursday_. Good song. I own nothing . . . unfortunately.

You want this baby to come, R & R  
VillageVoice

* * *

"Come on Callie we're going to be late." Erica called up the stairs as she put her last shoe on. Tonight she and Callie were going on a date. With their little girl was due incredibly soon, it was important to the couple that they spent a lot of time together and went out into the world. Soon enough it would be the three of them and they were basically at the mercy of this tiny little person. They had to get out now while they still could.

Callie came out of the bedroom putting a last earring in and paused at the top of the stairs. "Is this okay?"

Erica smiled up the stairs. "You look beautiful." She was wearing a dark plum colored pointelle lace wrap over a black cami that had a ribbon that went over her belly to tie on the left and fully accentuate every single one of the nine months she'd been pregnant along with a pair of black dress pants and her favorite pair of flats. Actually, they were the only thing currently fitting on her feet besides her big fuzzy slippers that weren't really appropriate for where they were going.

At the last minute they had gotten tickets to This Ordinary Thursday, a collection of songs by Georgia Stitt performed by a number of different people in a sort of jazz-lounge type of way. A patient of Erica's had them, but was admitted to the hospital before the performance and wouldn't be able to attend. He knew about Erica and Callie and with the baby coming soon he figured it would be better than letting the tickets go to waste. _"Think of it as my shower gift to the two of you."_ He had said. He was a good guy, married to a woman who had never once left his side while he was in the hospital. Erica had been his doctor for years and probably would still be for years to come.

Little did Erica know that it was no coincidence that her patient had been admitted the day of the show and wouldn't be able to go. He never planned on attending. It just went to show how Callie had a little too much time on her hands nowadays.

They got to the theater with plenty of time to spare. With these two they were either really early, or really late. It depended on the day. Today though, everything was going quite well. Erica had saved a few lives, gave a few people some hope, and she and Callie had met with their second parent adoption lawyer and had the final paperwork drawn-up. The process couldn't actually be started until the baby was born and until Mark gave up his parental rights, which this lawyer was also handling the paperwork for. They just felt a little more secure everything ready just needing to be filled in once she was born and a couple dozen signatures then they could get the ball rolling.

The house lights blinked a few times and Callie and Erica parted ways with a couple they knew from their birthing class and found their seats. The songs were sung, the stories told, but it was about 10 minutes after the intermission that Callie made her exit.

"Hey Babe I've got to go to the bathroom."

Erica nodded. "Sure, I'll go with you."

"No, you stay here." Callie was fully prepared for that one. "I need someone to tell me what happened while I was gone."

Erica smiled and gave Callie a chaste kiss before the younger woman stood up and made her way to the exit. Erica wasn't prepared for what happened next. Erica had never seen nor heard of this show before, so she didn't know if this was how it was supposed to run, but it was how they were running it tonight. There was a new person for each song and some songs had a little scene accompanying them, some didn't. She had never seen a show like this before, but she liked it.

Just as she was about to turn around and look for Callie, the next singer walked onto the stage and took the space with a force.

Erica had to blink a few times. "No." She told herself. "Can't be."

But it was. Callie stopped at the microphone and winked at Erica. Erica sat with confusion clearly evident on her face as the orchestra picked up.

_"They sat at the ocean  
They talked in the dark  
The wind made it chilly, but I felt a spark  
The night wasn't perfect  
These things never are  
But it almost felt like love"_

Erica's jaw just about dropped to the floor. So this was why Callie hadn't been picking up her cell on the first call during the day and why Erica heard music in the background when she did return her call. If she was at all insecure about their relationship she may have, just for a brief second, entertained the thought that Callie was seeing someone else.

Her thoughts immediately flipped back to their first kiss – well technically second, but she wasn't counting the elevator kiss as a "real" kiss. It was late, pretty dark out with a slight chill in the air. And that night wasn't perfect. They were in the middle of a walkway in front of a hospital in a lip lock where many people, including Mark Sloan, stood watching. But perfect or not, that's where it all started.

_"You laughed and I flirted  
We walked hand in hand  
My hair was a mess, all entangled with sand  
It wasn't romantic  
Not a moon nor a star  
But it almost felt like love"_

Callie's eyes locked onto Erica's and she sung with every ounce of power and emotion she could muster. Erica just sat back and watched in awe.

_"Tell me again  
How you long to touch my skin  
Dangle your heart before my eyes  
I hear your voice and I haven't any choice  
But to believe your lies"_

Okay, so it wasn't exactly a romantic song or a song Erica had ever imagined being sung to her, but it was beautiful. Callie was incredible. She had heard her singing in the shower a few times or to the baby when she thought Erica was asleep, but nothing even began to compare to this.

_"I tried to be normal  
Get back to my life  
I smile at my husband, you wink at your wife"_

Well, there was no husband involved here, but soon enough she and Callie would be married and then Callie would be her wife. Her wife. She'd never actually thought of it like that. Callie had always been . . . Callie. Callie Torres, formerly Callie O'Malley married to George O'Malley, the love of her life and soon her wife.

_"I can't help but wonder  
I can't shake the thought  
If only we'd dared, If only we'd not  
It wouldn't be perfect, these things never are  
But it might have felt like love  
It almost felt like love"_

Erica was smiling and on her feet before the song was even over joining everyone else in a standing ovation. They had dared. There was no almost or might have been. This was love. They had dared and jumped and leaped and forgot everything they thought they knew when they started down this path. Things were rocky at some points, life tended to be that way, but it always brought her and Callie closer. A fact that she hoped would stay with them for the rest of their lives.

Callie placed a hand on the side of her stomach and smiled down at Erica. 'I love you.' She mouthed.

'I love you.' Erica mouthed back.

* * *

Erica was waiting by the stage door when Callie finally made her way off stage after an encore performance at the end of the show. Callie immediately smiled when she saw Erica and ran into her arms.

"That was amazing." Erica said pulling away. "Why did you never tell me you could sing like that?"

"Why did you never tell me you could speak German?"

"Touché."

"Anyway we have a lifetime to learn everything there is about each other, don't we?"

Erica smiled and pulled out a single white rose from behind her back and handed it to Callie. "That really was incredible."

Callie leaned up and kissed Erica before settling back into her embrace. "That's what paid _my _way through college." She pulled away and took Erica's hand leading them out of the building. "I don't know, it's always been something I never really talked about. I always loved it, but I wasn't as passionate about it as I was with medicine. I just . . . haven't really done it in a while. And with being on maternity leave I had a lot of extra time on my hands and I got a call from someone I used to sing and do shows with in college. The woman who was supposed to be singing this part got sick at the last minute and couldn't perform. The last time I'd talked to her I said that I was moving to Seattle. So she called me up and here we are."

Erica pulled back and looked at Callie with _that_ look in her eyes. "What do you say we go home and really sing?"


	40. Counting Down the Hours

**A little pre-Christmas present for you all.**

It's Baby Time! She's almost here.  
Also, I have no knowledge in the delivering of babies and don't claim too. All I know is that every woman labors differently and that each delivery is different, so here is Callie's.

Review and I might just post the little one's birth very very soon.  
Or this beautiful little baby girl will forever live only in my head. . . and my laptop.  
VillageVoice

**

* * *

**

11:23am February 9th

"Stop moping."

"I'm not moping."

Addison took her glasses off and raised an eyebrow. "You're moping." She stated again, putting her glasses back on.

Callie sighed and leaned back against the chair. Erica was away in a conference. Away on the other side of the country with all the rest of the 'Cardio Gods' while Callie was sitting in Seattle all big and pregnant and a mere fifteen days from their due date. "I miss her."

"I know. But it's only a week and she's already been gone four days, so it's just three more."

Callie sighed louder and shrunk deeper into the chair. "What's so good about Boston anyway? Why couldn't they have the convention here?"

"Because they hate you." Addison said with a smirk.

Callie brought her head up for a minute so she could see Addison. "I wouldn't doubt it."

"Callie, get out of this hospital. You're on maternity leave, which usually means you take some time away from where you work."

"Usually."

Addison looked back up at the pregnant woman and studied her for a minute. Something was off. "Callie what's going on?"

"Nothing."

"You're a terrible liar. Spill it."

Callie pulled herself up and sat in the chair correctly. She slowly brought her eyes to Addison's. "I think there's a chance . . . that . . . I may be in a little bit of labor."

"Callie!"

"What? I'm at the hospital aren't I?"

"How far apart are the contractions?"

"Like ten minutes."

"Okay." Addison closed the chart and stood up. "Let's get you checked out."

* * *

**12:05pm February 9th**

"You're definitely in labor."

"Definitely?"

"Oh yeah. Four centimeters dilated and about 30% effaced. Your contractions are registering at about every ten - ten and a half minutes."

"That's good right? I mean, that means I may be able to carry her the rest of the term."

"Yes it's good and no, there's no way you're carrying this baby for another fifteen days Callie."

"How about another three?

"Don't push it."

* * *

**3:50pm February 9th**

Mark ran-up to Addison as soon as she shut the door behind her. "Is it true?"

Addison jumped and turned around. "Jesus Mark, a little warning?"

"Is it true?"

"Is what true?"

"Is Callie in labor?"

Addison looked straight ahead and continued walking. "I can't discuss a patient with you Mark and you know that."

"She's not a patient, she's Callie. And that's my kid."

Addison stopped in the middle of the hallway. "That's Callie's and Erica's kid."

"You know what I mean."

"I'm not sure I do Mark."

"Just tell me, is it true or not? . . It's my kid!"

"And she's my patient." With that Addison walked off leaving Mark alone in the hallway. She turned the corner and practically ran into the Chief.

"Easy there Addison."

"Oh sorry Richard."

"I hear Dr. Torres is in labor."

Addison crossed her arms over her chest. "And who did you hear that from Chief?"

Richard looked around. "Uh . . ." He kind of just expected her to tell him.

"You of all people should know that there's doctor-patient confidentiality involved whenever Dr. Torres comes to me with matters pertaining to her pregnancy."

"As a friend Addison."

"As a friend I would say that it is unethical of you to ask me to break her confidence. As her doctor . . . I'd still say the same thing." Addison sighed and walked off. It was going to be a long day.

* * *

**7:30pm February 9th**

Izzie walked into the room holding another cup of ice chips. "Sorry that took so long."

Callie took the offered cup. "It's okay."

"You know Sloan is stalking anyone who comes anywhere near this room?"

"You didn't tell him anything?" The panic was evident in Callie's voice.

"No, of course not."

Callie relaxed. "I'm just . . . I can't."

"You don't have to explain to me."

"I just . . . This is supposed to be something amazing and wonderful. I don't want him in here – He has no right to be in here after what he did." She corrected. It still hurt that Mark said he wanted nothing to do with the baby when she and Erica first told him. She couldn't be happier with how things had turned out, but it still stung to have someone so easily disregard you. "Erica should be here. This is our moment."

"How far apart are the contractions?"

"About seven minutes."

"How far dilated?"

"Six centimeters."

"Effacement?"

"80%."

Izzie looked over to the fetal monitors then back to Callie. "You should call her."

"I was kind of hoping it would all go away and I could keep her safe for another two weeks." She said, running her hands over her belly.

The door opened and the two momentarily froze until they saw Addison enter the room. "She's not answering her cell."

"Yeah, well she's at a conference. I'm sure they have some sort of rules about keeping it off. That or she's with her fellow Cardio Gods and they're congratulating themselves on being masters of the human heart." Addison just looked at Callie and shook her head. Callie put out her hand. "Give me my phone."

Addison dug through the purse on the table and dug out Callie's phone, handing it to the brunette.

"Her phone would never be off unless it died. It's probably just on silent. She can't answer calls, but she can read a text." Callie could've left a nice little message like, _'Hey Baby. Just thought I'd let you know I'm in a little bit of labor. See you in a few days'_ but she instead opened up her phone and typed _'I NEED YOU! NOW!!!'_ and closed her phone back up. "Give her five minutes."

Not even two minutes later Callie's phone started ringing.

_"Callie, what's going on? Is everything okay?"_

"No Erica, everything is not okay. I'm in labor and I'm scared and ah . . ." Callie paused as she was pretty sure that gush of fluid was her water breaking. ". . my water just broke and you're on the other side of the damn country and I need you to be here with me."

_"I've already booked a flight."_

Callie relaxed against the back of the bed and smiled. "Really?"

_"Really. You come first Callie. You say you need me and I'm there."_

"I love you."

She could almost hear Erica smiling through the phone._ "I love you too. I am on my way to the airport now. I booked the soonest and shortest flight, so I will be back in Seattle in five or six hours. I love you. I'm sorry I'm not there."_

"Just get here as soon as you can."

_"I will. Bye Sweetie."_

"Bye." Callie slowly shut her phone and looked up at Addison with the biggest smile on her face. "She's on her way." The smile, however, was short lived. Callie would absolutely die if Erica wasn't here to witness the birth of their daughter.

Izzie put a supportive hand on Callie' arm. "It's okay. She'll get here."

Addison touched Callie's shoulder. "Let's get you up and changed now, huh?" Callie nodded and allowed Izzie and Addison to help her to the bathroom. Callie closed the door behind herself and sent up a silent prayer. _'Just please let her get here in time.'_

* * *

**9:43pm February 9th**

Just about everyone had visited her today. There was Addison, but she was her doctor and dutifully bound to check in on her. Izzie was there for a while. Callie was really glad they had become friends. She never thought it was possible, but having a baby changes a lot of things. Izzie had been through all this before so without Erica there Callie was really able to lean on the other blonde. George had popped in. It was a bit awkward, but he was trying. The Chief had briefly visited, no doubt turning around and reporting right to Mark. Callie just hoped that since she asked him not to that he would honor her wishes. Even a few of her own interns had made an appearance. She was the first, except for Bailey who was more their boss than their friend, in this messed up little family group they had to have a baby. It was exciting stuff.

It was surprising just who stepped up.

Christina looked out the little window for the umpteenth time that minute. "He's really starting to bother me you know." They were involved in a highly intense game of Egyptian rat screw.

Callie paused to quickly glance at Mark pacing outside the door before turning her attention back to the game. "Just ignore him."

"Does he ever go away?"

"Nope."

"Do you want me to say something?"

Callie's eyes lit up. "Could you?"

Without another word Christina was out the door and staring Mark down.

Mark took a few steps back. Christina was scary. She was intense and focused and definitely more than he could handle. She just kept staring at him until his back was flush against the wall. Mark put his hands up. "Okay okay. I give."

"What's going on in there," She began, pointing at Callie's room. "Has got nothing to do with you. Nothing. Besides knocking Callie up nine months ago and then running like a dog with its tail between its legs, you have nothing to do with this situation. She doesn't want you here. All she wants is your signature on a piece of paper after that baby is born and then to move on with her life. Her life with Dr. Hahn and _their_ baby." She took a step closer to the door, eyes still locked on Mark's. "Other than that, pretend that you're a semi-decent human being and leave the woman alone. Haven't you done enough?"

With a final challenging look she turned and went back into Callie's room, sat on the bed and picked up her cards.

"Well?" Callie asked.

Christina looked out the window and saw Mark walk away. She turned back to Callie with a smile on her face. "I feel better now."

* * *

**1:25am February 10th**

"No, Addison it's too early. She's staying in here for another two weeks." Callie said through gritted teeth as she worked through another contraction. They were coming much more frequently now and she was nine centimeters dilated and nearly 100% effaced.

"Yeah, I don't see that happening. At this point another two weeks won't do a thing. This baby is going to be born today, whether or not I have to _cut_ her out of you."

"I - I'm good delivering today."

Addison smiled. "I'm glad you decided to reconsider. Now let's have a baby."

"No." Callie grabbed Addison's arm as the redhead turned from the bed. "I may not be able to wait another two weeks, but I am waiting until Erica gets here."

"Callie-"

"She'll be here Addison. She has to be."

* * *

**2:15am February 10th**

"No!" Callie pleaded through gritted teeth. "She's got to be here." She was now fully dilated, fully effaced and absolutely resisting what her body was trying to do.

"Callie, it's too late. We've got to get this baby out now."

"NO! I won't push."

"You don't have to, your body will do it for you. Either that or we'll pull her out."

"Don't you even think about it – AH…" Callie's whole body tensed as she struggled through another contraction.

"Callie this is ridiculous, you're contractions are right on top of each other."

"I will not do this without her."

"You'd rather risk your life?"

"Yes!"

Erica had never ran so fast in her life. She knew going to that conference would be a mistake. It might have bumped her from being the fifth best cardiothoracic surgeon in the country to being the fourth best cardiothoracic surgeon in the country, but it was a mistake.

"Dr. Hahn!"

Erica skidded to a stop and ran over to Christina. "Where is she?"

"She's down this way."

Erica followed Christina down the maternity floor to Callie's room and barely noticed Mark standing around the corner. Christina opened the door and Erica ran through. "Callie!"

Callie turned toward Erica and let out a sigh of relief. "Erica!"

Erica dropped her things and was at Callie's side in seconds. She leaned down and kissed Callie gently on the lips and then brushed the hair from her forehead and kissed her there. "I am so sorry baby. I knew Boston was a mistake."

"It's okay you're here now."

"And your daughter is about to be too. So if you will all cooperate with me now," She looked up and smiled at the couple. "It's time to meet your baby."


	41. This is the Moment

**HAPPY HAPPY CHRISTMAS everyone!**

A little holiday treat for all you, my loyal readers. Thank-you all so much for sticking with me through all of this. Your dedication is about to pay off. Thie is THE BIRTH.

Just want to once again state that I own nothing, except for the baby.  
VillageVoice

*Just a little note from last chapter. Technically, Mark does NOT have the right to be there. It is the MOTHER of the child who gets to decide who is in the delivery room. It doesn't matter if the biological father is there or even if he is married to the woman, she gets to choose who is in the room and Callie didn't want him there. Also, he has been stalking her room and stalking is sort of illegal.

* * *

**2:22am February 10th**

"Okay Callie I'm going to need you to push now." Addison instructed from her position between Callie's legs.

Erica was half sitting behind Callie and half beside her so that Callie could lean on her if she needed too, but also so she could coach her.

Callie shook her head. "No. I'm not ready for this."

"Callie, it's a little late for that." Addison said, motioning to herself and Izzie who were all dressed up and ready for the occasion. Addison needed a resident to assist in the birth and had let Callie choose who it would be.

Christina wasn't exactly the most supportive person to have in the room while someone was giving birth. She'd most likely tell them to get over the pain and stop yelling as they were giving her a headache. Alex had taken an interest in Addison's specialty, but Callie didn't know him nearly well enough to have him in the room while she was exposed and showing God and the world her business, no matter how good Addison claimed him to be. Meredith she knew a little better than Alex, but she was into brains and Callie's business was a little further south of the border than that. There was George, but that would just be weird and awkward and really unnecessary. So that left Izzie. And she really was doing a great job.

"Callie," Izzie began, not continuing until she had Callie's complete attention. "I wasn't ready either, okay. But if you don't give us a few more pushes you're risking your life and the life of your baby. Nothing in the world will ever compare to what you will feel the minute this baby is out and in your arms. It's better than anything you've ever felt before – No offense Dr. Hahn."

Callie clung tighter to Erica. "No, I'm not ready. We have things to do and I need to protect her, keep her safe just for a little longer-"

Erica leaned over and grabbed Callie's face, silencing her with a kiss. She pulled away and gently ran her thumbs across Callie's cheeks, much like she had all those months ago in the elevator. "I love you." She stared intently into Callie's eyes. "You can do this. We're ready."

"But what if she's not ready?"

"She's ready." Erica assured.

Callie took a moment but then nodded and Erica leaned back over so that she was back into position. She looked over at Addison and nodded.

"Callie – I'm going to have Dr. Stevens here count from ten and I need you to bear down and push this baby out, do you understand me?"

Callie gripped Erica's hand tighter and nodded.

Addison nodded over to Izzie. "Okay, Ten . . .  
Nine . . .  
Eight . . .  
Seven . . .  
Six . . .  
Five . . .  
Four . . .  
Three . . .  
Two . . .  
One . . . And breathe. Great job Callie." Izzie gave Callie's leg a pat and waited on further instructions from Addison.

"That was good Callie, but it's not moving the baby down as much as it needs to. I need you to push – Hard!" She looked to the fetal monitor and then turned to Izzie. "Grab her leg and give her some leverage. See if that will help."

Izzie went over and grabbed Callie's right leg while a nurse grabbed the left.

"Oh you have got to be kidding!" Callie exclaimed.

"On the count of ten Callie." Addison instructed and Izzie again counted off.

"Ten . . .  
Nine . . .  
Eight . . .  
Seven . . .  
Six . . .  
Five . . .  
Four . . .  
Three . . .  
Two . . .  
One . . . Breathe."

Addison wasted no time. "And again Callie, One . . . Two . . . Three . . . Four . . . Five . . . Six . . . Seven . . . Eight . . . Nine . . . Ten. Great job Callie, relax for a minute."

Callie collapsed against Erica and attempted to catch her breath.

Addison looked over at the monitor and saw another contraction. "Okay and again, One . . ."

"Two . . ." Izzie chimed in, joining Addison and Erica counting. "Three . . . Four . . . Five . . . Six . . . Seven . . . Eight . . . Nine . . . Ten."

"Okay Callie stop. Her head's out, but – Callie I need you to stop pushing." Addison instructed.

"AH . . . I can't."

"Callie the cord is around her neck and I need you to stop pushing." Addison worked her fingers as quickly as she could to untangle the cord from around the baby's neck. "Okay. We're good now. Would you like a mirror?"

"No I would not like a mirror." Callie said as if it was the most ridiculous thing she had ever heard. Who actually wanted to watch their vagina be stretched and manipulated in ways it should never be stretched and manipulated.

"One more push and she'll be out. But slowly this time Callie, we need to gently ease her out."

Callie nodded and with Erica's help put her chin to her chest and pushed a final time.

"One . . .  
Two . . .  
Three . . .  
Four . . .  
Five . . .  
Six . . .  
Seven . . .  
Eight . . .  
Nine . . .  
Ten . . ."

With one final push she was out. Addison took the baby in her arms and smiled up at Callie and Erica as soon as the baby started crying. "It's a girl."

Erica stood up and gathered Callie into her arms. "You did so great, Cal. So great."

"Erica, would you like to cut the cord?"

Erica pulled away from Callie and looked from the tiny baby back to Callie and nodded. "Yeah."

Once the cord was cut Addison handed the baby to Erica. Erica took the tiny, wailing newborn in her arms and very carefully made her way back to Callie. With a smile and tears in her eyes she put the baby into Callie's arms and sat down beside her. Callie turned her head toward Erica and their eyes met. This was the moment - This was _their_ moment. Erica leaned down and touched her lips to Callie's ever so softly before putting her arms around Callie and their daughter, with no intention of ever letting go.

Callie reached for Erica's hand and entwined their fingers, all the while not taking her eyes from the child in her arms.

Izzie wiped a tear from her own eye. "She's beautiful Callie."

"And she's got a good set of lungs." Addison added, a hint of sadness in her voice. This was it a happy time for the couple, but she couldn't help thinking that it was Callie pushing out Mark's baby instead of her.

Erica brought a finger to the newborn's cheek and stroked it just like she did to calm Callie. "Hey Baby Girl. I'm your Mommy. Well," She chuckled. "One of your Mommies."

Izzie came to Callie's left side and put a hand over the baby's head. She needed to take her to be cleaned off and weighed and measured and foot printed and to put that gooey stuff on her eyes. Callie smiled up at her and put the baby in her arms. "She really is beautiful Callie."

Callie reached up and touched the baby's hand, her tiny fingers curling around her mother's finger. "She is." She watched as Izzie carried the baby – her baby, to the other side of the room.

"Alright, now the fun part." Addison began.

"What?"

"We need to deliver the placenta."

"Seriously? More pushing."

"I'm afraid so. But if we just skip ahead and not spend forever arguing with me we can get this over with much sooner."

Callie laughed. Nothing anyone said today was going to bring her down. Nothing.

True to her word, Addison had the placenta delivered in no time. "Now if we had done this with the baby . . ." She trained off, turning to check how things were going behind her. "How's everything going over there Stevens?"

"Great. Perfect ten on the Apgar score at one minute and five minutes after birth." She pulled a little hat over the baby's head and brought the little clean, pink blanket clad bundle over to her mothers. "7lbs. 4oz, 21inches long." She put the baby in Callie's arms. "She's perfect."

Erica placed a kiss on the baby's forehead and then on Callie's. "I'll be right back."

She got off the bed and headed toward the door, but Callie stopped her. "Wait." She said, handing the baby to Erica. "Take her with you."

Erica smiled and carried the baby out the door to the crowd waiting. "It's a girl."

Everyone huddled around Erica with a chorus of "congratulations" and "she's adorable" and "I want one,' which earned Christina a perplexed glance from everyone around, and a bunch of other niceties Erica didn't catch because she was as too wrapped up in the tiny baby girl in her arms. But just as soon as everyone had gathered, everyone dispersed and Erica looked up to see Mark. She calmly walked up to the plastic surgeon and deposited the baby in his arms before stepping off to the side allowing Mark Sloan a moment with his daughter, while she was still his daughter.

Mark looked down at the tiny life in his arms. She was gorgeous, just like her mother. She was fairly light skinned, but he could tell that she would have Callie's darker complexion in a few months time. She had a full head of dark curly hair. And her eyes. She had the most stunning blue eyes, but they weren't his. "She has your eyes you know."

Erica raised an eyebrow.

The baby started to whimper and Mark gently rocked her in his arms in an attempt to soothe her. "You are the luckiest little girl in the world. You have two mommies who love you more than anything else in this world and have been protective of you since before you were the size of a sea monkey. . . At some point you're going to hate them for it and just want them to leave you alone, but they will _always_ love you. You will have everything and anything you could possibly dream of." He lowered his voice as the baby continued to cry and whispered into her ear. "They can give you so much more than I ever could." With a soft kiss to her forehead he walked over to Erica and gave the baby back to her mother. He laughed to himself as the little girl stopped crying the minute she was in Erica's arms. With a slight nod he turned and walked away.

"Mark" He stopped and turned back to Erica. "Thank-you."


	42. The First Time

**HAPPY NEW YEAR!  
**Welcoming in 2009 with a new chapter!

Just a cute little fluffy chapter about their first day home with the baby. I think it is, in part, part of my reluctance to let this story end. I've had some really good times writing this and an sad that it's coming to an end. That's why I put off the birth for as long as I could. But it was time. Poor Callie was about to tip over she was so pregnant.

VillageVoice

**

* * *

**

It had been two days. Two days and still neither woman could get enough of this tiny being in their life. After she was born Callie refused to let her go, causing her body temp to go down a little. She had to spend a few hours in an incubator, but other than that she hadn't left the room since Erica introduced her to everyone.

Today they got to go home to a life that was different from anything they'd ever known, but also so much better.

Addison was giving Callie a final "girlie" exam while Erica dressed the baby in her going home outfit, the little blue flower dress Mark had given them with a matching hat, a pair of little white booties and with a long sleeved onesie underneath as it was so cold outside. They had put her in the dress the day before when Fiona had come over to take the picture for her birth announcement, but now she going home. Erica gently lifted her up, careful to support her head, and swaddled her in a beautiful white crocheted blanket Callie's mother had made.

"So," Addison began, easing Callie's legs down and taking off her gloves. "Are you actually going to tell anyone her name or is she forever going to be known as Baby Girl Torres?"

"Torres-Hahn" Callie corrected.

Erica took the baby out of the glass bassinette and rocked her in her arms. "You'll find out when everyone else does."

"Why?" The redhead whined, pleading with Callie. "I'm your doctor. I was your baby's first doctor. I got her delivered into this world safely."

Callie took the baby as Erica handed her over and shook her head at Addison. "You will find out as soon as everyone else does."

Addison folded her arms over her chest. "And when will that be?"

"As soon as Fiona delivers the announcements." Callie explained.

"And where will they be when Fiona delivers them?" Addison asked, obviously mocking them.

"In your mailbox."

Addison looked between the couple. Deciding that there was no way either woman would change their minds, she signed off on Callie and the baby's discharge and left the room.

"What do you say little one?" Callie asked the sleeping bundle in her arms. "Do you want to go home?" She looked up at Erica. "I've never had someone put something this tiny and real in my arms and say, 'Here, it's yours.' She's really ours Erica."

"Yeah." Erica ran her hand though Callie's hair and brought her in for a kiss. "She's really ours."

* * *

The normal half an hour drive home took at least an hour longer with Erica driving a little too carefully. She couldn't have gone above 25mph the whole way home, sidestepping any bumps in the road and avoiding any 'dangerous' intersections. And by 'dangerous' she meant there was more than one or two cars in the vicinity. Nonetheless they got home 12:30 in the afternoon safe and sound.

She helped Callie out of the backseat before sliding in and taking the baby carrier out. It was a bone-chillingly cold day outside so they quickly hurried into the house. Erica put the carrier down by the stairs and turned to Callie.

"How are you feeling?"

Callie turned around and stepped into Erica's arms. "I'm exhausted."

Erica brought a hand up to rub the small of Callie's back. "Why don't you go upstairs and take a nap. Feed the baby now, that way she won't need to eat for another few hours. I'll watch her and make us something to eat. How does that chicken fettuccini alfredo you love sound?"

Callie smiled and leaned up for a kiss. "That sounds amazing."

Erica released Callie and carefully picked the baby up out of the carrier. Callie took a minute to look at the pair. Erica had resigned herself to the fact that she would never be a mother a long time ago. But now she was. And Callie bet that that twinkle in the blonde's eye identical to her own would never go away. She smiled over at Erica and brought her in for another kiss. "I love you."

Erica smiled. "I love you too."

"Thank-you for doing this, for still being with me. I was sure that-"

"Shh…" Erica took the hand that wasn't holding the baby and caressed Callie's cheek. "She's here now and as soon as we get a court date she'll be ours."

Callie smiled and put a hand on the baby's little head. "No. She's ours. She's always been ours. We don't need some overpaid judge in a stuffy courtroom to hand us a piece of paper saying she is."

Erica looked down at the baby. "Let's get you upstairs."

This was the one time Callie missed living in an apartment where everything was on the same floor. Each step she took hurt, every lift of her leg or subtle contraction of her abdominal muscles as she pulled herself up.

"I shouldn't feel bad for you. I told you to take the drugs." Erica sort of scolded.

"I was not about to have my baby born being all drugged out. Everything's better with a natural delivery."

"Except for the pain."

"There's a shorter recovery period and she was more alert-"

Erica smiled as they entered their bedroom. She was really proud of Callie. Not just for having a natural delivery, but for everything she did to protect their daughter the past thirty-eight weeks while she was in the womb. She had never been pregnant, but from what she'd heard and what she'd witnessed with Callie it was a battle. She one-handedly helped Callie get settled on the bed before depositing the little girl into her arms. "I'm just going to go downstairs and make sure we have everything for me to make the alfredo."

Callie grabbed Erica's wrist. "Stay with me?"

"Sure." She made herself comfortable snuggled up against Callie, Callie's head on top of her own, as they both watched their daughter nurse. Erica couldn't stop herself from putting a hand on the baby's head and playing with her fine, dark hair. There was something about those Torres women and their hair that Erica just could not resist. "She's beautiful. You did a good job Cal."

"_We_ did a good job. But she really is beautiful. And it's not just because I'm her mother. Everyone at the hospital said so."

Erica laughed. "I bet they did. Trying to get into our good graces by complimenting our daughter."

"She has your eyes."

"Mark said that too."

Callie nodded. "She does. I wasn't going to say anything in case they changed, but ... They're different from Mark's. There's something . . . about them. Or maybe it's that look." She joked. "Two days old and she's already got the Erica Hahn 'look' down pat."

Erica smiled. "That's my little girl." She said with a kiss to the baby's forehead. As soon as she was done nursing Erica took the baby into her arms and helped Callie get settled for her nap and with a kiss left the new mom to get some sleep. "Looks like it's just you and me." She said to the baby as she climbed down the stairs and put her back into her carrier, carrying it over and setting it up on the counter so she could watch the baby and cook lunch.

But she didn't get very far. She just stood there in front of the baby looking down at her. She was beautiful. So calm and peaceful just sleeping there. Erica found it hard to believe that she didn't even technically exist until two days ago. Two days old and she was already firmly planted into every aspect of the two surgeon's lives. And of course they wouldn't have it any other way. She brought a hand to the tiny baby's little cheek. She had these two adorable little freckles on her right cheek one right under the other. She had long, thick eyelashes. Absolutely beautiful.

At the touch she opened her two little eyes and looked at Erica. "Hey baby girl." She smiled down at the infant. "You're going to break a lot of hearts someday." She took the baby out of the carrier and rocked her back and forth in her arms. "How about I tell you a story?" Just like all good tales it began, "Once upon a time in a mystical land called Seattle Grace Hospital I met this woman"

The story covered all the major points; Erica's first day as the head of Cardiothoracic surgery at Seattle Grace, the first time she made a resident cry, her first successful transplant there, the time she met Callie, the first time they went out together – with Sloan, the time she and Callie first hung out outside of work sans Sloan, their intense sunrise yoga sessions, morning coffee, midday lunches, all-night dancing and partying – which was highly out of character for Erica pre-Callie, their "wine parties" as Christina had called them, all the way to Mark and Addison to when she realized she had feelings for Callie.

"I guess it was always there, but I refused to admit it until this one day." She began, still rocking the baby as she paced around the kitchen. "It was two weeks before cement boy." She explained to the infant, having already explained the significance of the patient in her and Callie's relationship. "After Addison planted the idea of us as a couple in Callie's head and she wasn't avoiding me anymore and things were less awkward." That has also been explained to the infant in detail. "We both had the day off and Sloan didn't, which is why Callie ended up spending the day with me. I know if he had been off too she would have been under him the entire day." She laughed.

For now she could get away with telling the baby these details, but as soon as she started repeating things the stories would come to an abrupt end. "So she forced me into another sunrise yoga session and we came back to my place – well, here, because Yang probably wasn't even up yet back at your mother's. Sunrise yoga is way too early. So we got here and I told her she could go up and take a shower in my shower while I made breakfast. She came down after her shower and she was just . . . gorgeous. I looked up and my jaw literally dropped. She had no make-up on and her hair was dripping wet, but I could not stop staring at her."

_"Oh, that smells amazing."_

_Erica looked up from the stove. Callie cocked her head to one side and smiled. She was absolutely breathtaking. No make-up whatsoever, her sopping hair lazily pulled back into a messy bun. Erica could see some drops of water still left on the ortho resident's dark eyelashes, her cheeks tinted pink from the warmth of the shower. "You do too." Erica's mouth opened before her brain had time to stop it. She could hit herself._

_"Thanks." Callie's smile got even bigger, taking a stray tendril of her dark hair to her nose. "I used your lavender shampoo."_

"And she's been using it ever since." She smiled down at the now sleeping baby and placed a gentle kiss on her cheek. Carefully she put her back in the carrier and strapped her in before turning toward the refrigerator and beginning what she went into the kitchen to do in the first place. She was looking in the fridge when a pair of arms engulfed her from behind.

"Was that really the first time?"

Erica smiled and leaned into Callie's embrace. "One of them, yeah."

"When was another?"

"When you, Addison and I were at Joe's. You were dancing with Sloan and I . . . I couldn't describe that feeling that shot through me as anything but jealousy. How I wanted to be up there with you instead of watching you up there with him. You were beautiful. So free and uninhibited. I think that was definitely my defining realization moment." She turned around and gave Callie a kiss. "Aren't you supposed to be sleeping?"

Callie slipped into Erica's open arms. "I couldn't sleep without you. And I missed my baby." She looked over at her tiny form, all covered in that blanket her mother made and looking way too small for that carrier. "I know it seems weird, but she's been part of me for the past nine months."

Erica placed a final kiss on Callie's forehead and pulled away, picking up the baby carrier. "How about we all go take a nap?"

Callie smiled as she took Erica's hand and entwined their fingers. "I think that sounds great."

* * *

*If you ever want to know this baby's name, I highly suggest you review*


	43. The Family Tree

**Tonight's Ep: **WOOHOO! Finally, a new episode. You all have no idea how much I was looking forward to this episode. . . But also knowing that it wasn't going to be that great b/c Brooke Smith isn't there anymore :( It was alright I guess. LOOOVE, LOVE that Mark and Callie are good friends now. HATE that Callie still likes Sadie and HATE Dr. Arizona whatever because you know they just threw her in there b/c she looks like Erica and they need a new girl for Callie. And honestly, what was up with all the commercials? 15-minutes in already 2 commercials. 20-minutes 3 commercials. I mean, in the name of George's patient there "COME ON!"  
And I really really really DON"T like Meredith and Christina fighting. Makes me sad :(  
And the Chief said Dr. Hahn quit. Makes me really sad. :(

So I figured that with _Grey's Anatomy_ adding another 5 chapters every episode that I could add one too. lol. Anyway, a new character introduced in this chapter. Just another piece of the puzzle that is Erica Hahn.

Hope you all like it  
Review as always  
VillageVoice

* * *

Erica was at work. She had agreed to take the first few weeks off to stay home with Callie and the baby, but that didn't start until two weeks after Callie's scheduled due date … which was not when the baby was born. She had talked to Richard and they worked things out with her current patients and such, but she still needed to go in the next couple of days to finish up on some more emergent surgeries, update the patients' charts and call the new doctors for the patients who were being transferred. It was only a few hours each day, but it felt like a lifetime.

"Almost done for the day?"

Erica looked up from her chart. "Yeah. Had one surgery and now as soon as I finish this chart I can go home." She moved some of her files so that Bailey could join her.

"How's Dr. Torres doing?" Always the professional, Bailey put her tray down across from Erica and sat down.

"She's great." Erica smiled. "We have a baby."

Bailey chuckled. "I know that feeling. Everything's great. Colors are brighter, people are nicer. Life is good. . . Just wait until you have a few more sleepless nights and then tell me how you're doing."

Erica shook her head. "So far so good. Two days home and she only wakes up at night to nurse and then she goes right back to sleep." Her smile grew. "She's perfect."

"That's not fair." Bailey shook her head and got up, picking the tray back up and walking away. "Not fair. Not fair at all."

Erica laughed to herself and turned back to the chart in front of her. The sooner she finished up her post-op notes, the sooner she could get back to Callie and the baby.

"What's not fair?"

Erica's head shot up at the familiar voice. "Cameron?"

"In the flesh."

"Oh my God." Erica abandoned her chart and got up to hug the blonde. "I haven't seen you in …" She trailed off, not knowing exactly how many years it had been.

"Twenty years."

"Really?"

The other woman nodded. "Since you left home."

"Wow." Erica stepped back to look at the woman. She was the same Cameron. Same piercing blue eyes identical to Erica's own, same wavy blonde hair, same pale complexion - but other than that they looked absolutely nothing alike. She and Cameron were raised together. Cameron was the only child of Erica's father's little sister who had died from lung cancer when Cameron was just eight months old. She learned she had it when she was pregnant with Cameron and waited until after her birth to begin treatment, which was too late. Her father split on her and her mother not long after she was born so she joined Erica, who was just a few months shy of being two years older, in being raised by their grandparents. And it was a struggle, but when they died she too went with Erica to live with Erica's parents in Boston.

Erica left her behind at eighteen when she left for college. She wanted to leave everything behind, a clean break from the person she had once been and unfortunately that meant leaving Cameron. They had kept in touch via e-mail and the occasional phone call, but that was hardly enough to keep them up-to-date with each other over the past twenty years.

Erica was at a loss for words. "I . . . I don't even know where to begin."

Cameron cocked and eyebrow and held something up into Erica's view. The birth announcement. Fiona sent them to everyone in her address book and that thing was so old it still included Cameron. "How about who this is for a start?"

* * *

Erica put her key in the lock and pushed the front door open. "Callie?" She called out, shrugging off her coat and briefcase. "Where are you baby?"

Cameron held in a snicker. "You call her baby?"

Erica smacked her, playfully, but still. "Shut up."

"We're in here." Came Callie's reply from around the other side of the stairs. Erica took Cameron's coat and put it with her own before leading her to Callie.

Erica spotted Callie stirring something at the stove, the baby in her arms, yet protectively angled away from the stove. Erica ran up behind the pair and gave Callie a passionate kiss that told the brunette just how much Erica had missed her and before Callie had the chance to react Erica bent down and plucked the little girl from her arms. "There's Mommy's little girl. Hey angel."

"She's even more beautiful than those pictures you showed me Erica."

Callie spun around at the unfamiliar voice and unintroduced person in her house. Erica didn't even look up. She continued to bounce the baby in her arms. "She is a pretty cute kid."

Cameron's eyes didn't move from Callie. "Her too."

Erica rolled her eyes and looked over at Cameron. "Callie, this is my cousin Cameron Alexander. Cam, this is Callie. And this is baby-"

"Don't tell me." She turned to her side and riffled through her bag trying to find the birth announcement. "I just had it."

"You look a lot like-"

"Elizabeth Mitchell?"

Callie nodded.

Cameron shrugged. "I get that a lot. But I'm almost 100 percent sure that I'm not."

Erica smiled. "Nope. She's just my cousin. Not too sure about Elizabeth Mitchell though." She joked.

"Wait-" Callie interrupted, having had a second to process. "Cousin? As in part of your nonexistent family?"

Erica took a deep breath. They were going to have a long talk later.

"I can clear that up." Cam began. "We're twenty months apart. My mother and Erica's father were siblings. There were three of them; my mother Kristin was the youngest, then Uncle Henry, Erica's dad was the middle . . . and then Uncle Charlie, the oldest." Both Erica and Cameron visibly tensed at the name. She looked to Erica in a silent question as to whether or not Callie knew.

Erica nodded. "She knows everything."

Cameron nodded. "We grew up together. Then Uncle Charlie started coming into my room at night. I had just turned twelve. Erica was fourteen and the best non-sister sister anyone could ever ask for. I told her after the second time. He hasn't tried anything yet, but she knew that he would. So she had me stay at a friend's that weekend and she confronted him about it." She looked down, suddenly finding her hands extremely fascinating. "That's when he started raping her. And she never said anything because it was either me or her." Her head snapped back up. "So when she left for college she left everything that had ever hurt her behind, and that included me. If I'd never told her-"

"Cameron." Erica warned. If she had to go back and do it all again, she would do the exact same thing.

"If I'd never told her he never would have touched her."

"No, he just would have raped you instead."

Cameron shrugged. "He never tried anything with me after that one night. And after Erica left I never tried to really get her back into my life, or to try to get back into hers. She wanted a clean break from everything. I understood that even at sixteen. We sent each other stuff at Christmas and on our birthdays, but we didn't actually start talking again until Erica graduated med school and moved even farther away to begin her residency."

"I still kept tabs on her though." Erica said. "Read about every review of every ballet she was ever in, kept up with her company's website, may or may not have been given updates every so often by her instructors."

"You're a dancer?" Callie asked.

"Ballerina." Erica corrected with pride.

"Retired. I'm thirty-six now, not as young as I used to be. A double knee replacement later, and I teach now. I have my own studio in Boston."

Callie nodded and turned back to the stove. Being an orthopedic surgeon took discipline and skill and technique, as did being a kick ass Cardio God, but being a ballerina took a certain amount of . . . starvation and pain that Callie wasn't even ready to think about.

* * *

After making sure Cameron was all set up downstairs in their new guestroom Erica made her way up the two sets of stairs to Callie and crawled in bed next to the younger woman. Callie turned to face Erica with a big smile on her face as the blonde snuggled up against her. She ran her fingers through curly blonde tresses then gently brought her hand down and stroked Erica's cheek, gently guiding Erica's face to hers until their lips met. The kiss was soft and loving, yet so passionate that it left Erica scrambling to find her voice once they pulled apart. "What was that for?"

"For being you." She bent down and kissed Erica again. "Thank-you for telling me about Cameron."

"Callie I am so sorry. It's been so long and I haven't heard anything from her in over a year. I guess I just forgot-"

Callie brought her hand back to Erica's cheek. "But you told me now. I think I was the one who didn't tell you anything about my parents until they showed up here one day. . . Which is kind of the same thing." She said, laughing to herself. "But I get it." She kissed Erica again. "And I love you."

"Well" Erica began, letting let out a low sigh of contentment as she snuggled back into Callie and wrapped her arm around her love. "Then it's a good thing I love you too."

"Yeah." Callie chuckled. "That helps." She gave Erica a final kiss and looked over to the bassinette. Seeing the baby sleeping soundly, Callie turned off the light and snuggled down with Erica.


	44. Different is Different

Okay, re-posting this since people had a problem with the German so now that whole thing is gone.

I am not now, nor how I ever been a fluent German speaker. I have German blood from my father's side and our last name is German, but that's about it. So since people have nothing better to do than to pick apart my translation rather than just get the point, which was purely that I mentioned Erica could soeak German but had yet to to have her speak it I thought it was time to write a bit of that in there, but apparently not.

Anyway,  
Finally, Baby Girl Torres-Hahn is finally named!  
I really like Addison and Mark, but with everything Addison has been through I find it odd that she hadn't been on some serious drugs to help her, so yeah . . . I'm leaving it at that.  
There's also some German in this chapter, but I have the translation at the bottom of the chapter.

VillageVoice

* * *

It was her last shift. Ten more minutes and Erica was set to officially begin her maternity leave; which was why she was hiding in her office, purposefully staying out of sight. If no one saw her, no one would need her. But one look out the door and she knew that wasn't the case. Addison looked so lost. Ever since the baby was born Addison hadn't been herself. Although Erica didn't think the baby had anything to do with it.

With a sigh she signed off on the file and pushed away from her desk, making her way over to Addison. She was standing beside the redhead for a good solid minute before Addison looked up.

"Erica." She jumped. "You scared me."

"Really? I've been standing here for over a minute."

Addison looked away. "There's a lot going on right now."

Erica followed the redhead's sightline. It was another minute before Addison realized Erica knew what – or rather who she was staring at. "I miss him."

"I don't understand." Addison gave her a look. "You live with the man, what is there to miss?"

Addison sighed. "I don't know. Sometimes I just wonder."

"About?"

"Maybe you and Callie have the right idea. It's got to be easier with a woman."

Erica resisted the urge to laugh and pulled up a chair next to Addison. "Nothing worth having is ever easy."

"There was a rumor going around that Stevens and I slept together a while back. Maybe I should give it a try."

Erica raised an eyebrow. "You and . . . Wait. . . You and Stevens? You and Izzie Stevens?"

"Yeah. I think Karev started it. He was mad at me for something." She shrugged. "It didn't sound half-bad at the time."

"Is there something about tall, pale blonds suddenly becoming attractive to rich divorcés the minute their lives fall apart?"

"Callie never saw it that way and you know it."

Erica nodded. She knew. "But you love Mark. Don't you?"

"Of course I do. But it's lost its . . . spark." Mark turned the corner and Addison turned her attention to Erica. "It's not exciting anymore. It's boring and routine. I used to not be able to wait until my shift was over so I could rush home and I used to not want to get out of bed because I knew that meant leaving his arms. I . . . Is it like that with you and Callie."

"No." Erica shook her head and sat in the chair beside Addison. "I hid in my office and cried for half an hour earlier because I just wanted to be home with her. I'd give up anything for her; cardiothoracics, surgery, medicine."

"See, that's just . . . I would never cry over Mark. I would have at one point, maybe, but not anymore. And I certainly wouldn't give up medicine."

"Maybe . . . Maybe Mark's just not the guy for you Addison."

Addison looked up at Erica with tears in her eyes. "But I want him to be."

Erica reached over and took Addison into her arms. "I know you do. I know."

* * *

Erica got home that day and crawled right into bed. Callie was downstairs, but at hearing Erica come home she shut her laptop and followed the blonde upstairs. She leaned against the doorframe and looked at Erica. Or rather the blanketed mass that was over Erica. "Tough day?"

It took a minute, but Erica freed one arm out of her cocoon and reached for Callie. Callie took Erica's hand and sat down beside her on the edge of the bed. "What happened?"

"AddisonandMarkarehavingproblemsyetagainandIthinkthatwitheverythinggoingonwithMarkfatheringsomeoneelse's,someoneveryclosetoboth  
ofthem,childandhermovingbackhereandinwithhimthatit'sbeenalotandit',theraputicandmaybepharmasuticalhelp."

"Um..." Callie reached over and pulled the blankets from Erica's face. "What?"

Erica sighed. "Nothing. I'm just tired. Did you know there was a rumor going around that Addison and Izzie had sex? It was quite a while back, but-"

"Whoa whoa whoa whoa. Addison and Izzie?"

Erica nodded.

"Together?"

Erica nodded again.

"As in _together_ together?"

Erica laughed. "Apparently. She thinks Karev was mad at her for something and started it…" She trailed off, pulling Callie down next to her. She wrapped her arms tightly around the brunette, and nuzzled her nose into her hair, inhaling her scent. "I am getting too old for this."

"Aw sweetie. You're only thirty-eight."

"Yeah, exactly. Too old for this. But I don't think Mark is Addison's real problem. I mean, he is a real problem, but I don't think this has anything to do with him. There's something else going on and she's replacing it with Mark. Something not as solid as Mark, which is why she is replacing it with Mark. Because she can see Mark and . . ." She was rambling and she knew it. With a long sigh she settled back down onto her pillow. "Too old."

Callie turned around and smirked. "Too old for this?" She brought her lips down to meet Erica's.

Erica smiled. "Absolutely not." They kissed again, with more passion. "You do know that as soon as you're all healed up down there we will be sending the baby down to stay with your parents for a few long weeks."

"No . . . we . . . are . . . not." Callie stated in between kisses.

Erica pulled away. "You're right." She looked back at Callie with a new twinkle in her eye. "When the time comes we will hire a sitter and lock the two of them up downstairs in the guestroom, or maybe call Auntie Yang and drop the baby off at that dorm they call a house because I have the feeling she will only be more than willing to watch her for us if not only to get onto my good graces. I'm sure I could let her scrub in on a really good surgery or two when I get back from leave." Callie laughed. "And then we are going to go out for a romantic dinner, come back here and not leave this bed until morning." She brought Callie back in for an incredibly hot kiss to seal the deal.

Callie smiled into the kiss and relaxed back into Erica's arms. "Different doesn't mean always mean better." She began, echoing Erica's own words. "Or worse." She looked up at Erica with the smile still on her face. "It just means different."

* * *

The Chief was just finishing up for the day. He had signed off on his last chart, he had his briefcase in his hand, his coat on and was just going to put his hat on, flip off the lights and go home to his wife. Then a little pale pink rectangular shaped envelope with his name on it caught his attention sticking out from a pile of paperwork on the corner of his desk.

Flicking back on his desk lamp he set down his briefcase and reached across his desk for the envelope.

_Richard_

Webber turned the envelope over in his hands and flipped open the flap keeping it closed and pulled out what was inside. A smile immediately came to his face. He never had children of his own, so all the doctors under him had become his surrogate children.

Looking up at him, light pink skin gently tanned by genetics, two pairs of bright sparkling blue eyes hidden by long dark lashes, dark curly hair with a few strands in two adorable little pigtails on the top of her head.

_We welcome with love, the newest addition to the Seattle Grace Familyere  
Seattle's Grace  
Grace Emmalyn Torres-Hahn  
February 10th  
2:28am 7lbs. 4oz. 21inches long_

He flipped his lamp back off, picked his briefcase back up and placed his hat on his head. "Seattle's Grace indeed."

* * *

Like the name? Hope it was worth the wait.

Here's what Erica says in an easier-to-read format:  
_"Addison and Mark are having problems yet again and I think that with everything going on with Mark fathering someone else's, someone very close to both of them, child and her moving back here and in with him that it's been a lot and it's hitting her now how truly messed up her life is. I think she may need real, theraputic and maybe pharmasutical help."_


	45. Something

**Tonight's Ep: **Eh, interesting. I am trying so hard not to like Dr. Arizona Ericareplacement, b/c that should be her last name, but I'm starting to. She seems really nice and as much as I try to make her out to be some mega witch, she really isn't. Dammit

Not too sure what I was doing with this episode . . .er, chapter. Not too much Erica/Callie. Mostly Erica and Callie with Mark and Addison.  
Also, Cardiothoracic Surgery is not a real magazine that I am aware of, I made it up.

A/N: You can all stop asking me if the chapter I post is the last. Believe me, I will let you know when the story is over. Believe me!

Other than that, I love you guys! Thanks for the reviews!

Let me know  
As always, Review please!  
VillageVoice

* * *

"Are you ever afraid?"

Callie put the pacifier into Grace's mouth and then turned back to Addison. "Afraid of what?"

"Doing it all wrong again?"

"Doing what all wrong again?" She asked the redhead, reaching back over to where Grace lied in the stroller beside her to once again pop the pacifier back into her little mouth.

"Everything. Life, marriage, work, relationships, surgery. Just . . ." She sighed. "Everything."

"Care to narrow that down a bit for me?" She gently pushed the stroller back and forth, hoping to lull the baby to sleep.

"Aren't you afraid that you're making a big mistake getting married again?"

"Are you asking me if I'm afraid to get married again or if I'm afraid of it all going to hell again?"

"Both."

Callie took a deep breath. "When I married George it was-"

"A mistake?"

"Obviously, but aside from that-"

"A big, huge, colossal mistake?"

"I loved him, well I thought I loved him and people in love get married and have babies – in that order. With Erica it's . . ." She searched for the right words. "It's so much more than what I had with George. It was scary and confusing and I got pregnant with someone else's baby, moved in with her, proposed to her, had the baby and now we're just beginning to plan the wedding, but it's," She bit her lip as a smile came across her face. "It's amazing. I love her so much more than I thought I could love someone, especially after my divorce. Not counting Gracie, she makes everything else seem meaningless. She . . .

"I used to believe in God and marriage and Heaven and Hell." Callie continued. "And then George broke that, he broke me. I was a mess when my marriage fell apart, but Erica brought me back to be so much more than I was before. She made me believe in God again, she made me believe in marriage again and Heaven and Hell." She reached out to stroke her baby's cheek and held back the tears. "She made me believe in me again. She is the best thing that has ever happened to me and I never want to be without her for even a day for the rest of my life."

"Ah ah ah ah, that's enough. I'm glad you're living the fairytale Callie, I really am, but I really don't want to hear about it when my life is such a mess right now – my relationship - my love life is such a complete mess right now. . . You still in your maternity clothes?" Addison asked, completely changing the subject.

Callie laughed. "Talking about whether or not I've lost the weight I gained during my pregnancy is not going to make you feel any better about your life."

"I think it just might."

Callie raised an eyebrow.

* * *

"Well well well Dr. Hahn. I thought you were still on maternity leave."

"Dr. Sloan." Erica greeted. Since he signed away rights to Gracie things hadn't been as awkward as they were before. It was still awkward, but he was trying to think of Gracie as being Erica and Callie's daughter and his goddaughter, but nothing else to him. The upside was that he didn't call her Erica anymore.

"So, no more maternity leave?"

"I'm part-time now. Gracie is six weeks old, I spent almost six weeks at home and-"

"And you needed to get some surgery or you were going to go crazy."

"You don't know the half of it. If I didn't get my hands on a heart when I did, I was going to be missing a neighbor." She laughed. "Which reminds me," She began, bringing her wrist up to check her watch. "I am supposed to meet Callie down in the cafeteria."

"Erica?"

Erica turned back around. "Yeah?"

"I'm sorry that I slept with Callie. Not that I got her pregnant because you two obviously love that little girl, and she . . . she's beautiful. But I'm sorry for anything I did that harmed or strained your relationship. And during the birth . . . I'm sorry."

Erica resisted asking him where Mark Sloan had gone. He was trying to turn over a new leaf, become a better man. He had to be feeling the strain in his and Addison's relationship and was trying to become a better man so that he didn't lose her a third time. She walked over to the plastic surgeon and stuck out her hand. "How about we start over?"

Mark smiled and shook the offered hand. "Mark Sloan, head of plastics."

"Erica Hahn, head of cardiothoracic surgery." Definitely more impressive. "It's a pleasure to meet you . . . Mark."

"Likewise _Erica_."

"Don't push it."

Mark tried to hide a smirk. "No pushing. Got it."

* * *

Callie's smile grew threefold as she saw Erica walking across the cafeteria to the table she was sitting at with Addison. She turned to Addison. "You might want to look away for a minute."

Addison gave Callie a perplexed glance but then turned around to follow her line of sight and rolled her eyes, becoming incredibly focused in her cell phone.

Erica smiled back and greeted Callie with a very welcomed kiss. "Hey."

"Hey yourself."

Erica leaned down and placed a chaste kiss on Gracie's forehead, careful not to wake the sleeping baby. Then she sat down beside Callie and gave the brunette another kiss before addressing Addison. "Addison."

Addison looked up from her phone, content that the greeting marked the end of their 'fairytale ridiculousness' as she had coined the term for any interaction between the pair. "Erica. How was surgery?"

"It was good." She took Callie's hand and entwined their fingers looking over at their daughter. "This is better."

Callie leaned over and dropped her head onto Erica's strong shoulder. "We missed you today."

Addison watched the two as they sunk back into their own little world. She wondered if she'd ever had that. She had had that with Derek before she slept with Mark and messed everything up. She wondered if she could have it again. She wondered if she could have something good up with the man who messed everything up in the first place. If they could take their messed up history and turn it into . . . something.

At the ring of her cell phone Callie excused herself and left Erica and Addison to talk. "How's your blonde problem going?" Erica asked with a chuckle.

Addison laughed and ran her hands through her hair. "Oh I don't know."

"Mark's trying to change you know?"

"Really?" She didn't quite believe it.

Erica nodded. "He apologized."

"Really?" Now she was shocked. "For what?"

"Everything."

Addison took a minute. "Wow."

Erica wasn't buying anything coming out of the redhead's mouth. "Addison what's really wrong?"

Addison opened her mouth, but before she could say anything Callie re-joined the group. "Erica." She said seductively as she seated herself on the blonde's lap. "I have a question. You're done for the day right?"

"Yeah."

"Would you mind watching Gracie for me for a few hours so I can do a surgery?"

"That's technically two questions."

"You're breaking out of your skin aren't you?" Addison asked.

"Oh my God you have no idea. I love my daughter – I love our daughter and being able to spend every day with her is great, but . . . I need to break bones and make a grown man cry." She said, causing everyone to laugh. "That was the chief. They're wheeling the guy up to surgery now and someone went home sick and someone else is forty-five minutes away and since I'm already here…"

Erica leaned up and kissed Callie. "Go. Kick ass."

Callie threw her arms around Erica's neck. "I love you. Thank-you thank-you thank-you."

"I love you too."

"Okay." She jumped off of Erica's lap and got her pocket book from behind the stroller. "I just fed her, but there's breast milk and bottles in the bag and-"

"Callie I know what's in the diaper bag I packed it myself before I left this morning. Now go! Quickly." She added. "Before I change my mind and go find myself my own surgery."

Callie kissed Erica on the cheek and then dashed off. "Thank-you."

Once she was out of view Erica turned back to Addison. Addison looked away and became extremely preoccupied with reading the flyers on the wall.

* * *

When Callie got home that night it dark out and Erica was sitting in front of the fire with a glass of wine and the latest issue of Cardiothoracic Surgery open on her lap. She looked up hearing Callie creeping into the room. "Hey. How was surgery?"

"I am fabulous." She began, plopping herself down next to Erica. "I just want you to know because we're going to be married soon and I don't want to outshine you."

"Oh outshine me?" Erica asked.

"Yeah. I just don't want you to feel inferior or anything."

"Inferior? One of the top cardiothoracic surgeons in the country, world known I might add, feel inferior to an orthopedic resident? An attending at one of the best teaching hospitals in the country inferior to a _carpenter_?" She teased.

Callie smiled. "Yes."

Erica laughed. "I'll try not to. As long as you don't go around bragging about your superiority."

"Deal."

Erica shook her head and raised her arm allowing Callie to snuggle up against her. "So everything went well?"

"Yeah. Yeah. I didn't think I missed surgery that much, but I did. I was totally in the zone. It felt really good to be back in an OR."

"I know exactly how you feel Cal. I was thinking, if you want to go in and do a few surgeries a week or something I'm sure we could work it out and still keep Gracie home. Most of my surgeries are scheduled in the mornings, so if you want to do a couple of afternoons we could do it."

"Really?"

"Really."

Callie took the wine glass and the magazine from Erica and laid them down on the coffee table so that she and Erica could really snuggle up. "Maybe. Is Gracie sleeping?"

"Yeah. But she'll probably need to eat in an hour or so."

Callie nodded and reached over to pull a blanket over her and Erica. "Can every day be like this?"

Erica looked down at Callie. She had that glimmer of a new baby, love and surgery to her. "Yeah. It can."


	46. The Problem

**Tonight's Ep:** Umm...I appreciate the Izzie/Denny thing a bit more. Still think they went about it horribly, but it sits better with me now. Glad Jackson got the organs and survived. Loved karma biting Mark in the ass and breaking his penis. lol. I shouldn't laugh, but it's funny.

I'm already betting that a lot, if not most if you are not going to like this chapter. It seems to come out of the blue, but I can't write a chapter for every day of their lives, so the missing three weeks is explained about mid-way through the chapter. But don't hate me, every couple fights. If they're is a lot of passion in their relationship there will be a lot of passion in the argument. A lot of hurtful things will be said, but it gives both people a chance to voice feelings they have been having and work through things that haven't been talked about.

But don't worry. Have faith in me. Haven't I been good to you thus far?  
Only a handful of reviews left chapter, so if you guys want more you need to impress me here.

VillageVoice

* * *

Running.

Running was good. Running was what was getting Callie back into her pre-baby body – her pre pre-baby body. Well that wasn't really true. Callie had always been more toward the heavier side than not. Especially when Callie was about ten-years-old until just before she graduated from high school. Those were not pretty years and Callie made sure to burn all pictures and videotapes taken during those years in a big bonfire that was probably very much illegal. Running was getting Callie into better shape than she had ever been in in her whole life.

Running was good. It was also good for Mocha. Since she was staying home with Callie and the baby she wasn't running around with the kids at the hospital. Instead she chose to lie around the house all day. Running was getting them both back into shape.

"Have you told her yet?"

Callie looked to the redhead running beside her then back to the road ahead. "No."

Addison stopped dead in her tracks. "Why not?"

The redhead would never admit it, but these daily runs were helping her as well. Not so much helping her actually, but more like enabling her to avoid her own problems.

Callie stopped a few paces down, careful to have a smooth transition so that she didn't jostle Gracie in the jogging stroller.

"Callie you need to tell her. I gave you the all clear at your six week exam." Addison said, walking over to Callie with Mocha right at her heels.

"It's hard Addy."

"You're damn right it is, but you need to tell her. Erica will understand."

"I just . . . I feel so unattractive. I had Gracie and now nothing looks like it used to."

Addison stood directly in front of Callie. "Erica loves you – Erica still loves you. "

"But she doesn't know-"

"Because you won't let her Callie."

"Excuse me if my self esteem isn't quite what it used to be."

Addison put her hands up in surrender, she didn't want to fight. "Callie, you had a baby. It's perfectly normal for you to be feeling all of these things you're feeling. And that doesn't make you a worse mother or a worse lover or any weaker for it. It's a change and like all changes it takes an adjustment. And Erica, she's trying to adjust. But she can't adjust if you don't let her know what she's adjusting to. Erica loves you. You, you and this little girl are her life – you're her family. I know after being hurt like you were with George it's difficult not to automatically close yourself off when things get tough so that it won't hurt as much, because the thought of going through all of that again is unbearable. But Callie . . . Erica's not going anywhere. She's not going to leave you."

Callie looked up at Addison with hope hiding behind her tear-filled eyes.

"Now you are going to go home and you are going to sit her down and have a talk." She took the stroller from Callie. "I am going to watch Gracie. You are going to talk to Erica and tell her what you're feeling. I seem to recall you once telling Christina Yang to just talk to Erica because she was a really good listener and had a good heat. To just tell her what she was feeling, so time to take your own advice. You are going to stop running – literally, and confront this."

Callie watched as Addison ran off with her daughter and her dog as she prepared herself for the conversation ahead.

* * *

Callie was just finishing touches on the Mexican chicken soup, which was her absolute comfort food. And right about now knowing that everything was about to hit the fan she needed as much comfort as she could get.

"Callie?"

Callie took a deep breath and began ladling the soup into two bowls. "In the kitchen."

After putting her coat in the closet Erica set her briefcase by the stairs and made her way into the kitchen. "Hey."

Callie set the bowls down at the table. "Hey." She took a step toward the blonde, but Erica backed away.

"I'm exhausted; I've had back-to-back surgeries for the past eighteen hours. I'm just going to go up to bed."

"I made dinner."

"I'm exhausted Cal. I can barely feel my legs anymore."

"I was hoping we could talk."

Erica looked into Callie's eyes. They had to talk. It had been three weeks, three very tense weeks since they had really talked. At Callie's six week post-delivery exam Addison had given her the all-clear for her and Erica to return to their normal sexual activities. They had gotten Cameron to watch the baby at her new apartment and Erica took Callie out. They started out with an incredibly romantic dinner, then they went to a show and later walked home along the water. But things changed the minute they walked through their front door.

Callie wouldn't even let Erica kiss her. She said Addison hadn't given her the go ahead to return to sex. Erica was confused. Callie had her exam with Addison that morning and even though Callie hadn't told her that Addison had said it was okay she figured Callie would have told her if it wasn't. Especially when they went out for this amazing night Erica had had planned for their first night together after the baby. So Erica hid her hurt and they went to sleep.

However, it was the same song and dance every night thereafter. They had never had a real fight before, and even though this not talking about it was avoiding the need for a fight, it was time to talk about it – and then more than likely fight about it after.

Erica brushed a hair from her forehead. They needed to talk. "Yeah, um . . . I'm just going to change and check on Grace."

"Grace is at Addison and Mark's."

Erica looked back up at Callie. It was serious now. "Okay. I'll just go change then."

Callie nodded and sat at the table with her hands folded in front of her until Erica returned. Callie knew it didn't take Erica five minutes to change, but she let it go. That was not the fight they were meant to have. She took a big spoonful of the soup and downed it like a shot before looking up at Erica. She looked so tired. All of the fighting – or lack of it, was getting to her. Keeping everything inside and walking around on eggshells was wearing her down.

"I'm sorry." Callie began. "I know this has been hard on you, but it's been hard on me too."

Erica bit her tongue. It wasn't that not having sex was the problem, it wasn't. The problem was that Callie had shot her down. Repeatedly. Her biggest fear since she and Callie got together in the first place was that Callie was going to leave her, most likely for Mark Sloan of all people. After getting shot down so many times she was beginning to believe that Callie didn't find her attractive anymore. Little did she know Callie was having the same fears.

"I lied to you. Addison cleared me."

Erica pushed the bowl away from her and laid her hands on the warm spot it left. "When?"

"When what?"

"When did she clear you? When did she tell you it was alright to start having sex again?"

Callie swallowed – hard. "At my six week post-delivery exam."

Erica blinked and looked up at Callie. Her eyes were cold and hurt. "Three weeks ago?"

"Yes."

Erica laughed and pushed away from the table.

"Erica?" Callie got up and followed her. "Erica?" She stopped her in their bedroom. "Erica please say something."

"What do you want me to say Callie? You say something. Just tell me now that you don't want to be with me anymore and we can stop playing this . . . game we've been playing here Callie."

"A game? You think our life is a game?"

"I don't, but apparently you do because if you really don't love me anymore, if you really aren't attracted to me anymore then you should just come out and say it. Not string me along for weeks, or months, hell who knows how long you've been feeling like this."

Callie took a step back. "Is that what you really think?" She asked as the tears came falling down. "That I don't lo . . . That I don't love you anymore." She choked out.

"What am I supposed to think Callie?"

"I deserve that." That was fair. Callie hadn't told her anything, and when people didn't tell her things she automatically jumped to the worst case scenario herself. So she could see why that was what Erica would do. "Before I say anything I want you to know that I love you Erica, more than anything. I have been avoiding this conversation because I don't want to fight with you. I don't want us to be mad at each other and now I know that by not telling you and talking about what could have been a simple conversation three weeks ago I've created a bigger mess."

Erica folded her arms and looked away.

Callie nodded and sat down on the bed. "Ever since I had Gracie I . . . it's not post-partum depression, but I just haven't been myself. I feel . . . gross. I look at myself in the mirror and I don't know how anyone – how you can find me attractive anymore. And that night three weeks ago, I just couldn't."

"Don't lie to me Callie."

Callie's head snapped up. "What?"

"Don't give me some spiel about you not being yourself when I know you're just not attracted to me anymore."

"Erica that's not true. I've been looking at you and then looking at me these past three weeks and I honestly don't understand how you can still love me, still love this. It was fine before when we weren't being really intimate, because you didn't see anything. You didn't have to see how disgusting I am now." She motioned to her body. "I even talked to Addison about it and she-"

"You went to Addison?"

"Yeah. I needed someone to talk to Erica."

"And my name never popped up in your memory bank?"

"I couldn't talk to you because it was about you."

"Oh! So you admit it now."

"No. I didn't mean it that way. It wasn't just about you, it was about me and you. About how I was having doubts that you still found _me_ attractive and that you still wanted to keep _me_ around."

"So the person it's about is the last person you would come to? I'm the last person you would come – came to?"

Callie took a deep breath. "I couldn't come to you. I was embarrassed. I'm Callie Torres, bone breaker. I made grown men cry and had enough confidence to go from here to the moon. I couldn't come to you because you've been so great about . . . everything and I felt like I'd be letting you down."

"So you chose to not say anything, then go out with me on this amazing night I planned, lie to my face and not let me touch you for the next three weeks? Yeah, I can see how that was a much better choice."

"Erica I'm sorry-"

"I'm going to pick-up Gracie and then I'm staying in the guestroom tonight."

Callie watched her walk out of the room and collapsed onto the bed. She cried and cried and cried. By the time Erica got back with the baby Callie had exhausted herself beyond reason and was out cold. And that was fine by Erica.


	47. Amen

**Tonight's Ep:** Re-run. Again. I'm disappointed. Didn't they go through enough re-runs during their winter hiatus? Or maybe their storylines are so horrible even they need to take a break from their own show.

My muse has been MIA since .... oh, 1998? Not really, but pretty close...so I am working hard on new chapters, but they're slow to come. Except for yesterday when she came back for the day and that was great. Amazingly great!  
Told you all I'd make everything okay. Shorter chapter, but it serves its purpose. This chapter is actually a combination of two seperate ideas I had that I thought worked together. Also a little bit of me shaming ABC and Shonda Co for their crappy dismissal of Brooke Smith's Erica Hahn from the show.

_You guys are great. 500+ reviews now!!!  
*Mmwahh* Love you guys. Here is your reward, hope you like it!_

VillageVoice

* * *

All of a sudden Erica heard something heavy fall in the bedroom before Callie screamed, "ERICA!"

Erica gently placed the sleeping Grace into her crib and shut the door behind herself as quietly as she could before bolting to the next room and flinging open the bedroom door. Callie was sitting on the floor up against the bed bawling her eyes out. "Callie what's wrong?"

Callie's head snapped up and she grabbed for Erica, pulling her down on the floor with her and holding her tighter than she ever had. "You can't leave me Erica, please. You can't leave me. I can't do this without you. Please don't leave me. Don't walk away." She sobbed into Erica's chest. "Please Erica."

"Shhhhhh…" Erica wrapped her arms tightly around Callie. "I'm not going anywhere. Not now, not ever I promise." She planted reassuring kisses all over Callie's face as she held her and waited for the younger woman to cry it all out. "What happened?"

"I had a dream." Callie sniffled and wiped eyes with the sleeve of her shirt. "We were standing outside the hospital and you said you didn't know me, at all. Then you just walked away. I went into work the next day and the Chief told me you'd resigned. Literally ran right out of Seattle. I never saw you again. A few days later your patient got a heart. The heart of a healthy blonde female your exact age."

"Oh sweetie." Erica sighed with another kiss. "I love you so much." With little help from Callie Erica got her back up onto the bed and comfortably nestled within the ivory and pale lavender sheets. The brunette was asleep before her head even hit the pillow. Erica pulled the warm brown comforter over Callie's exhausted body. She brushed a few strands of dark hair away and placed a gentle kiss on the younger woman's forehead. "I love you." She whispered. After making a quick stop in the bathroom to grab Callie a couple of Tylenols from the medicine cabinet and a glass of water she placed the pills and water on Callie's night stand and walked over to the door opening it just enough to cast a soft glow over Callie's face. With a final look she shut the door and walked down the hall to her office. It was going to be a long night.

* * *

Callie woke-up slowly the next morning. The first thing she noticed, aside from the fact that Erica wasn't there, was that she was facing the other side of the room - not how she had originally fallen asleep and she was under the blankets. A small smile came to her lips because even though Erica had been livid with her, and had every right to be so, she still cared enough to make sure Callie was comfortable and wouldn't get cold. The smile grew as she noticed two Tylenol on the bedside table next to a tall, clear glass of water.

Crying always gave Callie the worst of headaches. Slowly she pulled herself up and downed the two pills, laying back down before her head had a chance to catch up and start pounding even more than it already was. Last night had been a disaster. She had no idea that by not telling Erica what was really happening she was messing with the blonde's own confidence and forcing her to think that Callie's love was waning.

"What a mess."

Once the Tylenol kicked in and the drums going off in her head sounded as if they were coming from a neighbor's house rather than behind her eyeballs Callie made her way into the bathroom. She was glad they had decided against painting the walls yellow and instead went with a cool blue. With her headache and the intensity of the bathroom lights the yellow would have only added to her problems, but the blue filled her with an incredible feeling of calm. But if she felt bad about herself to begin with, the woman staring back at her in the mirror didn't help any. "That is not a good look for you Callie." She splashed some cool water on her face and prayed for the swelling around her eyes to go down. Callie was not the prettiest of people after she had been crying. She always hated it when people on TV go from crying to looking the best they ever had in their lives immediately after. After brushing her hair and her teeth she felt a little better, but she wouldn't really feel any better until she talked to Erica.

Back in the bedroom Callie heard the clicking of the keys from Erica's laptop down the hall in the office. It had been a while. They had both taken some time, slept on it, and now it was time to talk about it again. She headed down the hall and stopped at the doorway to the office, knocking lightly.

Erica finished the sentence she was typing and looked up.

"Hey." Callie smiled weakly. "Can we talk?"

"Yeah." Erica turned back to her laptop and shut it down before joining Callie on the couch up against the opposite wall. She sat down next to Callie, looking over at all of their collective diplomas and awards adorning the otherwise barren sage colored walls. After a few seconds she tentatively reached out but then brought her hands awkwardly back and placed them in her lap until Callie reached out herself and took Erica's hand, laying her head on the blonde's shoulder as she did.

"I'm sorry." Callie began. "I should have told you how I felt in the first place. It wasn't fair of me to go and tell Addison when she's a friend to both of us and this was something I should have talked to you about in the beginning."

Erica raised her arm so Callie could lean against her and she could hold the darker woman. "I'm sorry too. I just . . . It's just hard for me to come to terms with the fact that I'm not your best friend anymore."

"What do you mean you're not my best friend anymore?" She looked up at Erica. "Baby, you're still my best friend."

Erica shook her head. "No I'm not. I'm your girlfriend, I'm your fiancé - your soon-to-be wife, I'm our daughter's other mother, I'm-"

Callie brought a hand up and turned Erica's face so that she was looking right into her eyes. "You're still my best friend."

Erica looked deep into Callie's dark espresso colored eyes. "Really?"

Callie chuckled at the almost disbelieving, yet hopeful tone to Erica's voice. "Yes really. Addison is a friend, a good friend and sometimes I'm going to need to vent to someone else for a while before I can come and talk to you about it. This time it was Addison and in the past it's been Mark and . . . you. Now you're so much more than what you used to be to me, but I'm still going to need to just work things out with other people sometimes."

Erica leaned in and placed a gentle kiss on Callie's lips. "I know. But I never had that. I never had anyone else I could go to. You were the one I always went to."

"I know sweetie. But you have Cameron now."

Erica's eyes lit up. "I do." She shook her head. "That's not really my thing. I'm a private person; I like to work things out myself. You are not. I may not understand it, but you need to work things out out loud. You need to talk to people, get different perspectives, hear your own voice." She and Callie both laughed. It was true. "And I'm glad that you have someone you can go to to do that."

Callie played with the engagement ring on Erica's finger. "Thank-you. I will-I am still going to need to process things out loud and with other people, but I promise I will come to you a lot sooner. I won't let it get like it did."

"Just talk to me Callie. I'm still the same Erica. I want you to talk to me because when you don't I feel like you're cutting me out, and that . . . it hurts. If you weren't ready yet you could have just come to me and said so. I don't think any less of you or love you any less for it. You had a baby Callie. I don't take offense if you don't want me down there so soon."

Callie laughed.

"Just talk to me."

Callie leaned over and placed an ever so soft kiss on Erica's lips. "I will." She looked over at the clock and saw it flashing 5:03am. It was Saturday, they didn't have to work and he baby was asleep, so what the hell were they doing up that early? "Can we go back to bed?"

Erica's eyes lit up. She hadn't actually gone to sleep yet. "Yes, please."

"Hey" Callie began, all of a sudden remembering as she stood up and put her hand out for Erica to take. "Did I have a dream last night?"

"Yeah." Erica took Callie's hand and let the resident help her up. "Yeah, you fell out of bed and were screaming bloody murder."

Callie used her free hand to rub a sore spot on her hip. That would explain that. "And you calmed me down and got me back into bed, even though we just had that fight?"

Erica nodded. "It broke my heart to see you like that. Especially since I was the cause, even if it was me in a dream." She stopped in the middle of the hallway and turned around to face Callie. "I will always be there for you."

She gave Callie a quick kiss and then left to let Callie check in on Gracie. Seeing her daughter sleeping silently, clutching her favorite stuffed animal - the little stuffed cow Erica bought for Callie all those months ago in her tiny little hand, she quietly shut the door and joined Erica in the bedroom. "We survived our first real, big fight. How does it feel?"

Erica grabbed Callie and pulled her down onto the bed with her. "Exhausting. New house rule – No fighting."

Callie pulled the comforter over their two tired bodies and snuggled into Erica's embrace. "Amen."

* * *

_It's question time. Erica and Callie's 1 year anniversary is coming up in chapter 50 and I was wondering what you all would like to see them do.  
So, in your review or in a PM let me know what you would like to see them do or where you would like them to go.  
~V.V_.


	48. Surgery

**Tonight's Ep:** CROSSOVER. Love it. Anything that brings Addison back is gold in my book. But Callie Callie Callie . . . girl, what is up with the bangs? Your hair was finally getting good and now you just went back five years. And why are you letting Dr. Arizona WhatsHerFace kiss you? Bad Callie. Very very bad Callie!

I honestly have no idea where this chapter came from. It was going to be about them talking to Addison trying to figure out what is going on with her and instead, this was born. I guess that's what happens when I watch the Golden Globes and Hugh Laurie and House both lose. I was mad. And thus . . . this chapter was born. This is actually a combination of two chapters. Hope it is to everyone's liking.  
But then I was happy from watching NCIS all today, so I decided to take a break from my NCIS marathon and post this chapter. I only have one other chapter ready though as my muse has also taken a recent liking to NCIS, so this may be it for a little bit.

A/N: I'm not a doctor, don't claim to be. This is just how everything worked out in my head.

More reviews make for more chapters  
VillageVoice

**

* * *

**

"I think you should talk to her."

"Me?" Erica asked. "You're closer to her."

Callie switched the baby from one arm to the other. "I know, but we don't do these serious-type conversations." Erica stopped mid-way of putting her coat on and looked up at Callie with an eyebrow raised. "Okay, we don't do these serious-type conversations about her. She's fine talking about everything under the sun about me, but when it turns to her she shuts up."

Erica took Gracie so that Callie could put on her own coat and gently bounced the ever-growing infant in her arms, smoothing out the little riffles on the bottom of the pale blue dress. "Alright I'll try, but I'm not promising anything."

Callie finished putting on her coat and then cupped Erica's face in her hands. "That's all I ask." She gave the blonde a quick kiss before taking the baby back.

Callie had been back to work full-time two weeks prior as her maternity leave was up and as they agreed, Erica took those two weeks off to stay home with the baby herself. Grace was just over three months old now, thirteen weeks, but they didn't quite want to put her into daycare just yet. So Callie's mother and father had flown up from Miami and willingly volunteered to watch the baby during the day for a few weeks before Callie or Erica even had the chance to ask. They didn't, however, want to stay in the new guestroom. _"A young family needs privacy and special time together."_ Carlos had said. So they were staying at the Archfield for a few weeks until they returned home. This was, after all, the first time they were seeing the baby in person.

The doorbell rang and Callie brought the baby over to greet her parents. "Gracie look who's here." She spoke to the bright-eyed, alert baby in her arms.

"Ooh come here mija." Callie's mother cooed to the baby as she glanced right over Callie and went straight to the baby, taking her right out of Callie's arms.

"Calliope." Her father greeted with a hug.

"Hey dad."

"Mr. Torres, Mrs. Torres." Erica greeted, joining the group in the entryway.

"Erica sweetheart, when are you going to drop the formalities?" Lora asked.

"Probably not for a while." Erica joked.

"It's good to see you as well Erica." Carlos greeted.

"Right." Callie began. "We left a note in the kitchen with her schedule and everything you need to know, and we showed you where everything is yesterday, so you three should be all set. Bottles are in the cabinet beside the fridge, breast milk is in the freezer, diapers and everything are up in her room. Just make sure to give her her pacifier before you put her down for her naps or she'll never get to sleep. She also likes to hold the stuffed cow that's in her crib, so make sure you put that right beside her."

"Our cell and pager numbers are on the refrigerator as well as the number for the hospital and our respective departments. You can always call them and they'll page us immediately." Erica added.

Carlos nodded his head. "Yes yes, I have raised three children you know. I believe I still remember how to change a diaper." He opened the door he had just entered for the women. "Now get out. And have a nice day."

Callie gave her father a kiss on the cheek on the way out. "Thanks Dad. Bye Mom. Bye baby Mama loves-"

Carlos shut the door before Callie finished speaking. "…you." Callie and Erica looked at each other and just laughed.

* * *

"First day back." Callie stated. She and Erica came to a stop once inside the hospital doors. It wasn't her first day back; rather it was _their_ first day back. The first day they would both be working at the same hospital at the same time since before Gracie was born. It was the dawning of a new era.

Erica looked around. Nothing had changed. Everything seemingly the same whereas she and Callie had been changed forever. "It sure is."

"It's good to know some things never change." Callie said, nearly reading Erica's mind. "There's got to be some constant."

Erica looked over at Callie and smiled. "It is."

They walked over to the elevators and rode up in silence. The elevator stopped and Callie moved toward the door. "My stop."

Erica pulled Callie back into the elevator and closed the doors. She grabbed Callie and brought her hand to the back of the resident's neck and brought her in for a slow, deep, passionate kiss and then abruptly let her go and re-opened the doors.

Callie looked from Erica to the nurses' station right outside the elevator, clearly confused and trying to get back her bearings. "Uh . . ." She cleared her throat and blinked a few times before looking back to Erica. "Lunch?"

Erica nodded, a self-satisfied smile plastered across her face. She loved that she still had that effect on the younger woman. "Have a good day."

Just as the elevator doors were almost shut, Callie appeared in the tiny sliver that had not yet closed with her arms folded under her chest. "You still need to talk to Addison."

The doors closed and Erica swore. "Dammit." She cursed. She had forgotten all about that. Even so, the smile returned to her face. That kiss was hot. She was highly pleased with herself, but as soon as the elevator stopped on her floor she was all business.

* * *

"Addison!"

The redhead looked over her shoulder and saw Erica jogging toward her. "You paged?" Erica asked once she had caught up to Addison and they entered the scrub room.

Addison nodded. "I have a mother. She wasn't due for another month and a half, but the magnesium sulfate didn't stop her contractions and they couldn't risk her delivering the babies so they transferred her here."

Erica automatically began scrubbing in beside Addison. "They couldn't handle this at the hospital she transferred from?"

"She transferred here because we're here."

"You and me?"

"One of the best neonatal surgeons and one of the best cardiothoracic surgeon in the country. The best within transferring distance."

"What's wrong with the babies?"

"Remember that case we had a few years back? The hippie parents whose baby's heart was growing outside of his chest?" Erica nodded. That was a hard one to forget. The parents thought their love alone was enough to save their child. Erica understood that now that she was a parent. "Well it's like that. Only they're triplets and two of the babies' hearts are growing outside of their chests and we only have one flap of skin that isn't supposed to be ready for a couple more weeks, so it may not even be big enough to cover one of the baby's hearts." Addison explained as she entered the OR with Erica close behind.

"Two of them?"

"Yep."

Erica shook her head. "So essentially this mother has to choose which of her babies she wants to live?" Even with the one flap of skin that was no guarantee that the baby that got it would survive. And without that one flap of skin it was no guarantee that the baby who didn't get it would die. It was a very complicated mess on all aspects.

Addison looked down at the woman on the table. "No. We do." She refused to choose which baby she wanted to get the skin and since she was allergic to the epidural they had to use anesthesia and she was already out. With no father or other family around that left all other medical decisions to them.

"What about the third baby?"

"Died." Addison looked down for a moment before looking back up at Erica. "At around 30 weeks – cord entanglement. Doctors determined it was too dangerous to the other two babies to remove the one that died as they would have to deliver the other two and they needed more time."

"So this woman has been carrying a dead child around inside of her for the past four weeks?"

Addison nodded sadly.

Erica closed her eyes and tried to push the feeling of holding Grace for the first time and the image and feeling of seeing Callie holding her for the first time from her mind. The happiest moments of her life and this young mother was just robbed of that feeling with one of her babies – maybe all three of them. But she pushed these thoughts far, far out of her mind. _'Emotions have no place in the OR.'_ She reminded herself. "Okay." She said. "You said it yourself; we're two of the best surgeons in our field." She paused to put on her mask. "We can do this."

* * *

Callie came home that night to her parents gone and a silent house. She closed the door and stood still and quiet for a couple of seconds. She heard something muffled coming from up the stairs. That's when the warning bells started going off in her head. Something wasn't right. "Erica?" She dropped her bag and umbrella and ran up the stairs. Her first instinct was to protect her child. She flung open the door. "Erica."

Erica was sitting in the glider crying and holding Grace close to her chest. The baby was wide awake and looked over at Callie when she heard the door fly open. Callie took a breath. Grace was fine and Erica was fine. She walked over to Erica and knelt beside her. When Erica didn't move or even acknowledge her presence she put her hand on the blonde's arm. "Erica?" After that failed to work she brought her hands to either side of Erica's face and turned Erica to look at her. She gently brushed her thumbs over Erica's cheeks to brush the tears away and placed a soft kiss on the corner of her mouth. "Sweetie what's wrong?"

Erica shook her head and held Gracie tighter.

After a few more minutes of sitting beside Erica as she cried, Callie slipped out of the room and pulled out her cell. "Hey Mark, can I talk to Addison? It's really import- . . ." She sighed. "Yeah, yeah I know. Erica's doing the same thing only she has Grace in a death grip. What happened today? I saw on the surgical board they were in surgery together most of the day, but . . . She's not talking either. . . Okay, well call me if you have any luck . . . I will. Bye." She peeked back into Grace's room and saw the same scene as the one she had left, so she decided to take a shower and hopefully she'd think of something to do.

Half an hour later and still no such luck. The only difference was now the baby was asleep and Erica had cried herself out so there were no more tears left to travel down her face. She was just staring off into space. But Callie knew when enough was enough. She gently took the baby from Erica's arms and placed her in her crib. Then she grabbed Erica's hand and led her into their bedroom. She sat Erica down on the bed and knelt down in front of her. "Erica."

Slowly Erica lifted her head and met Callie's gaze.

Callie smiled. "Hey." Then she took Erica's hands. "What happened in surgery?"

Erica took a few slow breaths before she opened her mouth. At first nothing came out, but she eventually mustered out a few words. "Can we call in sick tomorrow?"

Callie nodded and tucked a stray curl behind Erica's ear. "Yeah. We can do that."

Erica nodded and slowly lowered herself onto the bed. Callie took off Erica's shoes and followed close behind, pulling the covers over their bodies and holding Erica as close as she could. As soon as her arms were around Erica she clung to Callie for dear life and started crying again.

* * *

The next morning Addison and Erica sat together on the couch in the living room while Callie and Mark stood off to the side watching them.

"They're still not talking." Mark said.

Callie shook her head. "Nope."

"They need to start talking."

Callie nodded. "Yep."

"How . . ." He sighed. "How do we get them to talk?" Callie raised an eyebrow and looked up at Mark. "Nothing either?" Callie shook her head. "What did the chief say?"

"Besides he was losing three of his best attendings for the day?" Callie asked. Mark nodded. "Nothing. He wouldn't tell me who the patient was or what they were doing in the OR for hours." She let out a frustrated breath as a loud wail made its way down the stairs and filled the living room. "I'll get her."

"No." Mark stopped the ortho resident. "You stay here." He said, punctuating it with moving a finger between the two statues on the couch. "Fix this."

"How the hell am I supposed to do that?"

"I don't know. Girl talk – _Something_." Callie watched as Mark walked away and made his way over to the stairs, stopping briefly to admire the new pictures along the wall. Next to all the pregnancy pictures they had hanging on the wall they had added Gracie's birth announcement as well as the picture from Grace's one-week old shoot. It was taken shortly after Valentine's Day, so they were all hearted out. Grace was wearing the most adorable little dress. Short puffed cap sleeves with a long sleeved white onesie underneath, allover hearts of red, coral and pink, soft cotton ribbing with a mock wrap ruffle bodice and a high-waisted pale pink bow. Then she was wearing white tights with matching red, coral and pink hearts in a line on the outside of each leg, sparkly red Dorothy Gale Wizard of Oz shoes and a red bow clip holding some curls off to the side. Erica was sitting holding Grace in a red long-sleeve shirt with her hair left curly. Callie was standing behind the two, as to hide her post-pregnancy belly, wearing a short-sleeve red top with tiny rhinestone detailing on the bow under her chest and she too had left her hair curly. And of course Mocha was there with her own Valentine's Day outfit that included a new white collar with red hearts and a big red bow added to the side.

Mark rounded the corner and headed up the stairs. "Hold on there Gracie, Uncle Mark is coming."

Callie laughed and walked over to the blonde and the redhead on the couch and stood directly in front of them, blocking their view of the fireplace that they had been staring into. But after a few minutes she turned and walked right back out of the room. If neither of these women wanted to talk no one would be able to make them.

* * *

The rest of the day was spent in relative silence, although Mark and Callie were sure they heard Addison and Erica whispering whenever they stepped out of the room. So they spent a lot of time just outside of the living room, not close enough so that they could hear what the women were talking about, but close enough so that Erica and Addison knew they were there if they needed them.

Callie looked over at the women from where she and Mark were sitting at the island in the kitchen. Erica and Addison's heads were down and close together. "They're whispering."

Mark looked over and nodded. "Yep."

Callie continued staring at the backs of the 'silent' women. "It's good though. They don't feel they can talk to us about it, but at least they can talk to each other you know?"

Mark looked away from the living room and into Callie's eyes. "Yeah." He wasn't convincing anyone. But then again, neither was she.

Addison looked away from the kitchen and took Erica's hands in her own. "We did all we could."

Erica looked up and her swollen, bloodshot blue eyes met another pair of swollen, bloodshot blue and she knew it was true. She nodded and after what was probably three or four hours, finally stood up and walked out of the living room. Callie was on her feet and met her at the entrance to the kitchen. Mark was already over by Addison's side. Erica took a step closer to Callie and wrapped her arms around Callie's neck and brought her as close as two people could possibly get. She nuzzled her nose into Callie's hair and breathed in the scent of her lavender shampoo. "I love you."

Callie smiled at hearing Erica's voice for the first time in what seemed like an eternity, even though it wasn't even a full day, and for those words to hold such meaning. She wrapped her arms around Erica's waist and pulled her closer. "I love you too." She looked over to see a similar scene being played out with Addison and Mark. Maybe everything would be alright after all. She turned back to Erica. "So much."

* * *

Erica still hadn't spoken much by the time that evening had rolled around, but it much better than the previous evening when Erica refused to say anything beside asking Callie if they could call in sick. She pulled her pajama pants up and pulled her hair up into a loose ponytail. "I'm just going to go check on Gracie."

Callie pulled her tank top over her head and looked up at Erica. "She's fine."

"I'm just going to check on her."

"I just checked on her."

"I know, but-"

Callie walked around the bed and stopped right before Erica, taking her hands. She reached up and caressed the side of Erica's face. "She's fine."

Erica closed the distance between her and Callie until their lips met. "Okay."

Erica turned and went over to the bed while Callie went into the bathroom to take out her earrings and brush her teeth. When she came back into the bedroom Erica was still sitting on the edge of the bed. "You okay?"

"It was a thirty-five year old woman. Yesterday, in the OR. She was carrying triplets. One of them had died a few weeks earlier and the other two both had their hearts growing outside of their chests."

Callie stayed where she was and remained silent. This was something Erica needed to get out. So when Erica looked up at her she simply smiled and looked back with as much love and support she could.

"She transferred over from Mercy West so that Addison and I could work on her. She was specifically transferred to Seattle Grace because of us." She took a breath. "She was in labor and nothing was stopping the contractions so they transferred her so we could do a C-section before her labor progressed too far. . ." She trailed off, looking at some imaginary stain on the carpet.

"You don't have to tell me."

"I want to." She looked up at Callie with those eyes that said she needed Callie so she closed the distance between then sat next down next to Erica on the edge of their bed and took her hand. "We took the stillborn baby out first, a little girl. Then we took the first boy out. We had a skin flap, but for some reason they only had one and seeing as the babies weren't due for a couple of weeks it was so small we didn't know whether or not it would work for either of the babies. The mother refused to chose which baby to give the skin to, so it was up to us."

Callie brought her free hand to rub the small of Erica's back.

"In the end it didn't matter. We were left with skin grafting and artificial skin, which would have been fine because the babies were just born and newborns have an incredible rate of growth. The first boy was delivered and over to me in the next OR without a problem. Then we were in the OR waiting for the other baby to come in and five minutes later he's still not there, ten minutes, fifteen, twenty . . .

"Half an hour later Addison comes in and says they lost the last baby." She choked back a sob. "He squeezed his own heart with his tiny little hand before Addison could get to him. This poor woman, this mother lost two of her children and it was up to me to save the last baby." She gripped Callie's hand tighter and looked down at the light vanilla carpet. "And I couldn't. . . He had an enlarged heart, it was swollen and bruised from being bumped around by this baby's brother and sister, his chest cavity wasn't big enough . . . he crashed. . . And there was nothing I could do to bring him back."

"Erica."

"Then to make matters worse, if you can get any worse than three dead newborns, the mother woke up and asked to see all three of her _'beautiful, healthy babies.'_ Apparently she had fallen earlier that morning and that's how the labor started. She hit her head and forgot that the little girl, this beautiful little girl with curly blonde hair . . . that she was already dead. Addison and I had to tell her that the little girl she thought was off sleeping in the nursery had died four weeks earlier and the first of her sons died in surgery and the second was essentially stillborn because he died before Addison delivered him. So this mother who thought she was going to wake-up to three healthy babies woke-up to three certificates of still-births and booklets of infant sized caskets."

"Sweetie." Callie ran a hand over Erica's hair and gently pulled the blonde down to her as she broke down. "Oh Erica." She momentarily paused to place a kiss on Erica's temple and then continued rocking the blonde and rubbing her back. "You and Addison gave those babies a better chance than anyone could have. I am so proud of you for trying." She brushed the hair away from Erica's face and placed another gentle kiss on her temple. "I love you so much."

She continued rocking the older woman and whispering how much she loved her until she finally fell asleep. She tucked Erica into bed and smiled as Erica's hand searched out for her even in sleep. She crawled in next to Erica and took her hand thinking about how much everything had completely changed. She had changed, Erica had changed, their life together had changed. Everything changed. Things would settle down in time, but until then . . .


	49. The Art of Rushing

**Tonight's Ep:** Sucked. Pure and simple. Not really liking this show anymore. It has gone way downhill this season. I knew firing Brooke Smith was going to be bad for them. But they never listened.

This is going to be my last chapter for a while as it is the last chapter I have left. My muse doesn't like the show anymore either. Sorry guys. I love you all for staying with me through all of this and will try to get up to the wedding written, but we shall see  
Also, I do not own Dr. Phil or the Dr. Phil show as I mention him in this chapter, I just own the episode I made-up.

VillageVoice

* * *

"Dr. Hahn you have a phone call."

Erica looked incredulously over her shoulder at the nurse holding the phone. "I'm elbow-deep in this man's chest cavity. Can you take a message?"

The nurse cleared her throat. "It's Dr. Torres."

Erica stared at the nurse, weighing out her options. Callie wouldn't have called her when she knew Erica was in surgery, a very important surgery, unless there was a reason – and a good one at that. She turned back to the patient and looked up at the doctor standing opposite her. "Dr. Yang, continue-"

Christina had the instruments away from Erica and in her own hands before Erica even finished her sentence. "Yes of course Dr. Hahn."

Erica nodded and walked over to the corner of the room where the nurse placed the phone to Erica's ear. She nodded to the nurse and pinned the phone down between her ear and her shoulder so that the nurse could get back to the patient. She momentarily blocked out the surgery and turned her attention to the phone. Grace was screaming in the background. "Callie, what's going on?"

_"She won't stop Erica. I've fed her, I've changed her, I took her for a walk, I gave her a bath, I rocked her for hours, I tried putting her to bed but she hasn't slept all day. I tried reading to her and telling her a little story like you do before she goes to sleep, but it's not working. Nothing's working and all she does is scream and cry, cry and scream. I don't know what to do."_

"Sweetie it's okay, it's okay. Walk away from her. Just put her down, close the door and go downstairs." She looked back over to the very complex surgery going on as she gave Callie a minute to put the baby down and get downstairs.

_"Okay."_

Erica turned back to the conversation. "Okay."

She could hear the tears in Callie's voice._ "I don't know what to do for my own child Erica. I can't comfort my own daughter."_

"Callie this is not your fault. She's colicky. Colicky babies cry and . . . don't sleep. I don't know. Do you want to bring her in? Get her checked out? Maybe there's something else going on."

_"No."_ Callie sighed._ "I just want to sleep."_ She laughed sadly.

"I know sweetie. I'm sorry I'm not there. I know it's Saturday and we agreed that we wouldn't set foot anywhere near the hospital on the weekends-"

_"It's okay. It's not your fault you're the only surgeon in the country who could pull this surgery off."_

Erica smiled. "I will be there as soon as I can. We're almost finished; Yang is holding him steady and baring any further complications we should be done in a few hours. I do have to stay a little while after to monitor the patient and see whether we actually pulled this off or not. But I will be right home after that."

_"You'll pull it off. And then we are going to personally send Preston Burke his very own copy of the article once it's published in every major medical journal. I'd like to see him brag about graduating first then."_

Erica turned toward the wall so no one in the operating room could see her smile grow even bigger. "I love you."

_"I love you too."_

The smile quickly faded when she heard a high-pitched scream come over the line. She could picture Callie trying to blink away a new wave of tears. It had been really hard on her the past few days with Grace getting colic. They ended up having to just put Grace in her crib and walk away and it killed them. Right now Callie was dealing with it alone. At least when they were both home they could lean on each other, but Callie was alone and sleep deprived and heartbroken. "Put her on the phone."

_"What?"_

"I'm in the middle of one of the most complex cardio surgeries that has taken place in the past thirty years Callie. Just put the baby on the phone." She heard some shuffling and the stairs creaking, the door opening and some very intense wails. She lowered her voice. "Gracie. Gracie baby you have got to stop doing this to your mother. Your poor mother needs some sleep and I'm not there to work my magic and get you to sleep so you're going to have to help me out here." She paused a minute and listened; she heard nothing more than soft whimpering.

_"I swear to God Erica you have got to tell me how you do that_."

"Put her back on the phone . . . Alright baby now listen to me" She paused a moment to search for the first story she could make up off the top of her head. "Once upon a time in a mystical land called Seattle Grace Hospital I had a surgery. And it was a great, amazing surgery that only came around every seven or eight surgeons' careers or so. Of all the surgeons in all the hospitals on this planet this case came to me. I worked so hard on this case. I works so hard that your poor mother had to deal with you herself for days and then when the weekend finally came around, the weekend I promised your mother I would be home for, something bad happened to this poor man and we had to move the surgery up.

"There were a few tense moments, but everything was going great until I get a call from your mother telling me you won't stop crying, you won't sleep and she can't stop feeling like a horrible parent because nothing she is doing is working. You're a Hahn. You're going to ignore your stubborn Torres attitude and do as you're told because your poor beautiful mother deserves a break for five minutes, and then you are going to go to sleep until I get home tonight when I can deal with you. Now I am going to go back to my once-in-a-lifetime patient and you are going to go to sleep. Right?" She was met with adorable little chuckle and Gracie babbling. "That's my girl. I love you. Goodbye."

Erica nodded for the nurse to come back over and hang up the phone and turned around to see everyone in the OR staring right at her. Residents, interns, nurses, even the anesthesiologist. "What?" Most people had the good sense to jump and turn back to what they were supposed to be doing. "Is there not a patient on the table who needs your attention more than my phone call?" She retook her place beside the patient. "Thank-you Dr. Yang. Apparently you are the only person in this room who is competent enough to do your job without my monitoring your every move." She glanced around the room and saw a guilty look on everyone's face – all except Christina who Erica could tell was grinning ear to ear under her mask. She could almost see her thought bubble, _'OMG, she called me competent? Me? Competent? Seriously? No way.'_

Erica smiled for a brief second and then put her game face back on. "Let's do what we're here to do people." She took the instruments back from Christina and continued where she had left off. "Let's see if we earned our paychecks."

* * *

Erica stepped into the house and stood for a moment. It was quiet. She carefully closed the front door and shed herself of her jacket and bag, careful not to crush the flowers she had picked up for Callie on the way home. "Callie?" No response from anyone human, but Mocha came running down the stairs like a bat out of hell and slid right into Erica upon jumping off the carpeted stairs and meeting the wood floor below. Erica gave the dog a thorough petting before the dog was satisfied and pushed open the door to the den, making her way in. "Callie?" She asked again, this time louder.

She ran to the bathroom and then checked downstairs in the new guestroom/laundry area/playroom. No Callie. She climbed back up the stairs and checked the dining room, the kitchen and the living room. She even stepped out onto the porch to see if Callie was out there, but she wasn't. She came back into the house and headed toward the stairs to check upstairs. "Callie?"

"In here." Came the whispered reply from the den.

Erica climbed back down the few steps and walked into the den, closing the glass door behind herself. Callie was lying down on the couch curled up with a brown and white spotted blanket. "Why are we whispering?" She asked in a whisper as she gave Callie's furry blanket a pat. That dog had gotten lazy the past few months.

"Gracie is sleeping. She hadn't woken up once since early this afternoon after you talked to her. I don't want to jinx it."

Erica walked over to Callie and kissed her on the forehead. "Go back to sleep." Then she turned to walk back out of the room, but Callie grabbed her hand.

"I'm awake." Callie sat up and pulled Erica down next to her.

"No no no, go back to sleep. You deserve it."

Callie clung to Erica. "No."

"You better go before you're too awake or you won't be able to fall back asleep."

"Don't care."

Erica smiled as Callie kicked the dog off the couch, not literally, and completely turned herself around so that her head was now in Erica's lap. She brought her hand to Callie's dark hair and bent down to place a gentle kiss on her lips, which the brunette quickly turned into something more passionate. They both pulled away with matching smiles on their faces. Erica took the bouquet of yellow roses, white lilies and a couple sprigs of pink baby's breath off of the table beside her and brought them over for Callie to see. "I got you something."

Callie smiled a full smile that brightened up her eyes as she took the bouquet and stuck her nose right into it. "Aw, lilies. My favorite." She moved the flowers to the side and looked up at Erica. "You are too good to me."

Erica smiled back and leaned down for another kiss. "I love you too."

"I'm assuming everything went well with the surgery?" Callie asked, sticking her face back into the flowers.

"As well as can be expected, yeah. I have Christina monitoring him through the night."

"Christina?" Callie asked.

Erica nodded. "Yes." Usually staying at the hospital overnight glued to a patient's bedside was a chore, but they both knew that any chance for the young doctor to get on Erica's good side was a very much welcomed chore. And Erica could also feel comfortable that her patient was left in the hands of one of the most, if not the most, competent resident in her group. Not that she would ever tell Christina that.

"But . . . you called her Christina."

"It's her name."

Callie turned and looked up at Erica. "I thought her name was Yang?"

Erica looked off to the side, deep in thought. "Oh yeah."

Callie laughed and took Erica's free hand and laced their fingers together over her stomach as Erica's other hand continued to run through Callie's silky hair. It amazed the raven haired beauty how safe that simple act made her feel. Anytime Erica touched her she felt as if nothing could touch her. She was safe. "Did we mess up?"

"What do you mean?"

"Us. Did _we_ mess _us _up?"

Erica furrowed her brow. "I'm still not following you Cal."

Callie placed the flowers on the coffee table and sat up turned so that she was facing Erica as she casually leaned up against the back of the couch. "I just . . ." She trailed off, having absolutely no idea where to begin.

Erica turned to her right so that she was more openly facing Callie. She brought one hand to Callie's face and gently lifted her chin up so she was looking deep into Callie's dark eyes. Callie smiled and took Erica's hand, placing a kiss on her palm before looking back up at Erica. She smiled and lost herself in the most gorgeous blue eyes she had ever had the pleasure of looking into. Interns and residents, hell even other attendings would turn and run with one look from these blue eyes, but they made Callie want to latch onto their owner and never let go. She used her free hand to guide Erica's face closer to her own as she closed the distance between them and their lips met. She broke away and leaned her forehead against Erica's own. "What's wrong Callie?" Erica asked. It wasn't a worried or concerned question, but more Erica just wanted to know what was going on inside of that gorgeous head.

Callie sighed. "Did we do everything too fast? Did we rush things?" She pulled away slightly so that she could look back into Erica's eyes, taking in all the comfort she found. "We kissed, then a month later I moved in, a month after that we found out I was pregnant, a few hours after that we decided that we would become a family and raise the baby together, four months later we're engaged, 3 months later Gracie is born and now…" She pulled back and motioned around with her hands. "Here we are." She leaned back in and rested her forehead back against Erica's. "Did we do everything wrong?"

This time it was Erica who pulled away. She cupped Callie's face in her hands and ran her thumbs over Callie's soft cheeks. It never failed to relax the darker woman. "Does it feel like we did everything wrong?"

Callie leaned into Erica's touch. She thought for a moment and then looked into Erica's eyes expecting to find some kind of hurt or sadness or even confusion, but there was none. Erica knew Callie wasn't saying that she regretted anything or that she didn't want to be with her anymore, she just needed to work some things out. And it warmed Erica's heart that Callie was coming to her to talk about it instead of someone else. "No." Callie finally replied. "It doesn't. It feels like we did everything right."

Erica smiled and tucked a stray hair behind Callie's ear. "Does it feel like we everything too fast? That we rushed things?"

Callie shook her head and smiled. "No."

Erica brought her hands down into her lap and laughed. "Then what the hell is this about?"

Callie laughed back. "I don't know." She sighed and gladly let herself be taken into Erica's arms.

Erica wrapped her arms around Callie's waist and immediately felt the brunette relax into her embrace. She placed a kiss on Callie's exposed shoulder before nestling her nose in the crook of Callie's neck. "I love you."

Callie placed her hands over Erica's own and laced their fingers together. Just feeling their hands together always filled Callie's stomach with butterflies and brought a smile to her face. "I love you too."

A few moments of comfortable silence came over the couple. It was a rare occasion nowadays that there wasn't a sound in the whole house. They took a moment to take that all in and both realized how they never wanted it to be quiet again. They loved these little quiet moments they had together, but for it to be quiet too long was unnerving. It was like taking a giant step back as the step they were currently standing on also contained an adorable little girl who was rarely quiet for long.

"So," Erica began breaking the silence. "What brought this on?"

"I was watching Dr. Phil." Callie admitted with a sigh.

Erica laughed. "You have got to stop watching that show. He's not even a real doctor; he's like a botanist or something." Callie chuckled at the Kathy Griffin reference. She never really could understand why Erica liked her so much. Sure she was funny, but so were a lot of people.

"He has a PhD."

Erica shrugged. "That doesn't make him a doctor."

"It's a PhD."

"Still not a doctor."

Callie rolled her eyes. "Anyway, he was talking about couples who rush into things too fast. He interviewed six couples; two who had taken their sweet time with their relationship waiting until they were together for a year before they had sex and two before they moved in together, two who rushed into things having sex shortly after they met and moving in after a short amount of time and two who were somewhere in the middle. They'd all been together for at least two years and for the most part they were happy."

"Were?"

"Two of the couples I swear secretly hated each other, two barely tolerated each other, one claimed to be madly in love with their partner and one simply coexisted because it was easier." She shook her head and sighed. "And by the end of the episode only one couple was still together."

Erica planted a kiss on the side of Callie's neck. She could see how the episode had really upset Callie. "Which one?"

"Well it was the one who jumped into bed the minute they saw each other but that's not the point." She laughed.

Erica couldn't help herself from laughing right along with the woman in her arms. She sighed and rested her chin on Callie's shoulder. "Well, if you think about I accepted my position at Seattle Grace in November and you kissed me in May…" A rosey blush came over Callie at the memory. It was one of her bolder moves. But she was so glad that she did it because now she had Erica in her life. "So that was . . . six months. But we actually met back in November the year before when I operated on George's father. So technically we've known each other for about . . . a year and a half."

"Really?" Callie asked. "I never thought of it like that." She felt Erica nod against her shoulder in response.

"We'd known each other for a year and a half before we'd slept together. We'd been together a week, but we'd known each other longer." Erica laughed with Callie joining her shortly after.

"And you know what glorious occasion comes in less than three weeks?"

Erica played dumb and pretended to think for a bit, shaking her head. "No. Is there something? Because you know if it's not written on the calendar I forget."

A look of mock hurt crossed the resident's face as she pulled away and playfully slapped Erica's arm. "It is written on the calendar. It's written on every calendar we have and illustrated by at least five different colors, exclamation points and arrows."

Erica hid a smile by biting her lip and shrugged her shoulders. "I'm sorry Cal I have no idea-" Her sentence was cut short as she had to duck to avoid being hit with a pillow. "Hey" She exclaimed as she ducked to avoid another pillow. "Not fair."

Callie continued hitting the blonde doctor with the pillows. "It's our one-year anniversary." She said, finally giving the pillow attack a rest.

The minute the pillows were down Erica grabbed them and threw them across the room far out of Callie's reach, not caring that they knocked everything off of the coffee table in the process as long as they were out of reach. Callie was momentarily stunned by the fast action and Erica used it to her advantage as she lowered Callie down onto the couch and straddled her hips, bringing her hands to caress Callie's cheeks before descending down onto her full lips. "Of course I know it's our one-year anniversary." She told Callie in a sultry voice when she finally pulled away. "You won't let me forget it."

Callie brought her own hands to the sides of Erica's face and smirked. "You're damn right." She said before she brought Erica's face back down to continue what the blonde had started. Quite content to spend the next several minutes specifically _not_ rushing things.


	50. Good Things Come

Many, many, many very much heart-felt apologies for not posting for so long. My Muse thinks she can vacation for months at a time and get away with it. I thank-you all for sticking with this story and waiting for me to post. I appreciate it.  
I have another chapter after this in the works, but since it's been so long since I posted I decided to post now.

VillageVoice

* * *

"Cameron Alexander so help me if you don't pick-up your phone. Everyone is at the hospital and this is the only time I can do this so you need to pick up your phone. Cameron!" Erica sighed as she juggled Grace on her hip, the diaper bag, her purse, and her cell as she tried to get Cameron to pick up the phone. This was the fifth time she was calling her and the blonde was still not answering. She was supposed to babysit so that Erica could go out and finish getting things ready for her and Callie's anniversary tonight, and then when they were off from work Addison and Mark were taking Grace for the night. But she couldn't drop Grace off if the blonde wouldn't let her in the building. She didn't have enough hands to dig the emergency key Cameron had given her out of her purse. Erica sighed in relief as Cameron's voice finally came over the phone. "Cameron" She pursued her lips as she realized it was just the voicemail picking up. Again. "Why do I fall for that every time?"

Getting the phone off of her shoulder proved to be more difficult of a task than she originally thought ending with the silver object landing on the pavement. "Great." Erica laughed to herself. "This just keeps getting better and better."

"Here let me help you."

Erica looked over her shoulder and saw a gorgeous redhead brush off her phone and hold it out to her. "Thank-you." She smiled at the woman. Erica judged that the woman was a few years younger than her, possibly early 30s. She was wearing a backpack and was carrying what looked to be a big case for a very expensive camera.

The woman smiled back and held the door to the apartment building open and reached a hand out to touch Gracie's little hand. "She's adorable."

"Thank-you."

"My girlfriend's niece looks exactly like her."

Erica smiled. "They're a handful."

The redhead nodded. "Tell me about it."

"You have kids?" Erica asked. She would love nothing more than to find another lesbian couple with kids who lived around them. Or just another lesbian couple period. The only same-sexed couples she and Callie ever saw were the friends they had made from their birthing class, but they didn't live close by so they rarely got to see them.

"No." The woman admitted as she tucked a lock of her deep red hair behind her ear. She gave Grace a final smile and let go of her little hand. "Someday."

Erica nodded and stepped through the door. She turned back around. "I'm Erica, by the way. And this is Grace." She added with a tilt of her head toward the curly raven haired child.

Something flashed across the other woman's face so fast Erica was barely able to catch it. Recognition?

"Amelia! Amelia wait you left your…" Erica turned around to see Cameron bolting out of the elevator. She immediately stopped when she saw Erica. "…phone." She finished.

* * *

"So . . ." Erica trailed off sitting down on the couch in Cameron's apartment as the other blonde came back from putting Grace to sleep in the port-a-crib she kept in her room for her niece's visits. "Amelia huh?" Cameron blushed and plopped herself down next to Erica on the coffee-colored couch. Erica smiled and nudged her cousin, eliciting a small laugh from the younger woman. "Who is she?"

It was no secret to Erica of Cameron's affection for the farer sex. She had confessed to Erica that she knew she was a lesbian shortly before Erica's own realization of her attraction to her same-sex co-worker. It was Cameron's own confidence about who she was that gave Erica the confidence to tell her parents. She told Cameron mere minutes after she told her parents, once they had left the house and she was packing up all the things she could carry to leave the house forever. The last words she said to Cameron were, _'Don't tell anyone. Never tell anyone unless you already know what their reaction will be. . . It's not worth it'_

_"Erica what is going on?" Sixteen-year-old Cameron pleaded as she watched Erica place a duffel bag on her bed and start emptying the contents of her bureau and closet into it. She had just gotten back from her dance class and hadn't even had time to yet change out of her black leotard and pink tights, as was the standard uniform for the company she danced with, or to take her hair out of the ridiculously tight bun it was currently in. "Talk to me."_

_Erica ignored the pleas from the girl she had grown up with as a sister and tied her curly blonde hair into a loose ponytail as she continued to throw things onto her bed. Cameron walked over to the other side of the room and sat down on her own bed watching as Erica packed up the contents of her life into two backpacks and a small duffle bag. She grabbed the cream colored bear off her pillow and held it to her chest. She was wearing her own little tutu and tiara. It had been a gift from Erica earlier in the year when Cameron had been accepted into the company at her dance studio; the youngest dancer accepted into the adult ballet at only barely sixteen-years-old._

_Running to the bathroom quickly to grab her toothbrush Erica stuffed it into some random pocket and looked over at Cameron. She slowly crossed the distance and kneeled down before the young girl, wiping her tears away. "Don't tell anyone. Never tell anyone unless you already know what their reaction will be. . . It's not worth it."_

_She gave Cameron a hug, grabbed her things and left. Cameron waited until she heard the roar of Erica's car engine as she pulled out of the driveway before she reached over and grabbed the picture sitting on her nightstand. It was of her and Erica when they were still living in Maine with their grandparents. They were nine and eleven, respectively, wearing jean overalls and matching dirty faces as they stood in the middle of their brand-new garden, very proud of their work, with their arms around each other smiling at the camera without a care in the world. It was held in a bright pink frame that said 'Sisters' across the top and 'Best Friends' across the bottom. With the picture in one hand and her teddy bear in the other she crawled into Erica's bed and cried until there was nothing more she could do to keep her bloodshot eyes open._

Cameron stood back up and crossed to one of the bookshelves on the far wall and grabbed a framed picture. "Her name is Amelia Blake. She's a photographer. We met when she was taking the pictures for a profile on the last ballet I choreographed in New York." She explained, handing the photograph over to Erica and making her way into the kitchen.

Erica looked at the picture. It was taken in the fall judging by all the brilliantly colored leaves in the background. Cameron and Allison were both wearing matching beige hats and smiling big toothy-grins at the camera that was being held out by one of the women, it was hard to tell which. Amelia was beautiful. She had long straight red hair and cloudy blue eyes. "She's pretty." Erica said.

Cameron agreed as she brought two glasses of red wine over to the couch. She handed one to Erica before setting her own down on the coffee table.

"No getting drunk while you're responsible for my daughter."

"It's one glass." She defended as she took the picture from Erica and set it back on the bookshelf. She set it neatly between the picture of her and Erica in their dirty overalls and bright pink frame and the latest picture of Grace in a more than adorable denim overall dress and red shirt underneath, her dark curly hair pulled over to the side by a little red bow. She turned away and dropped her smile when she turned to find Erica staring back at her. "What?"

Erica only raised an eyebrow.

"We've been together for a year." She began, answering her cousin's unspoken questions as she sat down beside her. "I took some time off after a ballet I was choreographing in New York and that's when we realized we really had something. But she lived here in Seattle and was only in New York for a couple of months for some big project on aging prima ballerinas or something." She laughed. "I was able to stay in New York a few months longer after my job there was done, but I eventually had to go back to Boston and she had to go back to Seattle. Our lives, our homes and our friends were on two opposite sides of the country. We tried the whole long-distance thing for a few months after that, but it just wasn't working for either of us. She's really close to her family and I had none, in Boston, and I knew you lived somewhere in this city so the decision really wasn't all that hard. I was moving and it was purely by coincidence that I returned to my apartment that day for . . . I don't know, a favorite shirt I forgot or something and saw the birth announcement sitting on my counter."

"And here I thought you moved here to be near me and your niece." She said with a look of mock hurt.

Cameron smiled. "That was just a perk."

"So you had this place here the whole time and still camped out on my couch for a week?"

"It wasn't your couch." She defended. "And I missed you." Her face fell as she looked down at her hands. "I hadn't seen you in twenty years E. We grew up as sisters. Do you know how much it hurts to have your sister and best friend all of a sudden be essentially erased from your life at sixteen? You never told me why you left."

Erica sighed and took Cameron's hands into her own to stop the other blonde from playing with her fingernails – A bad habit she had had ever since Erica could remember. "I'm so sorry." She looked into Cameron's teary eyes and took the younger woman into her arms. "I never stopped thinking about you for a day." Erica continued to hold her 'little sister' until her sobs quieted down. Cameron pulled away and Erica brushed her tears away. "Better now?"

Cameron laughed. "Yeah. Thanks."

"Look Cam . . . I don't know what to say. I never really did think of how hard my leaving would affect you. I'm sorry I just let you out of my life so easily."

"It's okay. You're here now."

"I'm a shitty big sister." Erica admitted with a laugh, wrapping her arms back around her little sister in a sisterly hug

Cameron sighed. "Yeah." That earned her a nice smack to the side of her head. She pulled away and smiled. "I deserved that."

Erica laughed and brushed Cameron's hair down and tucked it behind her ears. "I'll do better."

"I'd hope so."

"Oh yeah?" Erica teased. "Why?"

Cameron raised an eyebrow. "Because I have your daughter."

Erica looked away. "Good point." She had missed this. She and Cameron had been best friends since before either blonde could remember. They were both a little withdrawn from school so all they really had was each other. Erica went off to immerse herself in college life and left Cameron with no one. She wasn't exactly off making tons of friends, she hadn't actually made any she cared about enough to still keep in contact with, but the fact was that she had left her little sister going through the hardest years of her young life with no one to turn to. She was damn well going to make up for that now. And that began with making sure this Amelia woman was good enough for her little sister. "You and Amelia should come to dinner with me and Callie sometime this weekend. I need to approve of this woman my little sister is dating." She winked. "Kick her ass if need be."

Cameron laughed.

"And I promise I will tell you why I left and explain everything beforehand. Deal?"

Cameron looked at Erica and clinked her glass with Erica's. "Deal."

"You know how many times I've been here and never even noticed that picture?" She looked around the room, noticing a few more pictures of Cameron and this red-haired woman. "Or those?"

"Every time but this one?" Cameron smirked.

Erica chuckled. "I forgot how funny you think you are." Cameron brought her hand to her chest in mock hurt. "But really, you've been here for over three months and living with this woman. Why haven't you said anything?"

Cameron shrugged her shoulders. "Don't tell anyone. Never tell anyone unless you already know what their reaction will be." She said, repeating Erica's twenty-year-old words.

Erica slowly nodded. Perhaps that wasn't the best piece of advice she have ever given. "I'm living with a woman, I'm engaged to a woman, I have a child with a woman . . . and you didn't think I would react well to knowing?"

Cameron sighed. "Just because you are involved with a woman doesn't mean you want the same thing for your little sister."

"Are you happy?" Erica asked.

Cameron took a few seconds then looked up at Erica. "Yes."

Erica smiled. "That is what I want for my little sister." And just like that the moment was broken by a loud piercing wail that sailed its way down the hallway and reached the two women's ears.

Erica downed her wine and grabbed her purse. "Gotta go."

* * *

"Erica!"

Erica was running late, literally. Nothing had been working out as it should since she left Cameron's apartment, well Cameron and Amelia's apartment. She had left the apartment only to find out her car was basically empty on gas and the closest gas station was packed and it took her a good 45 minutes before she was actually able to fuel up. Then there had been ridiculous traffic that took about two hours longer than any normal occasion to get to the hospital. She just needed to run in quick to grab her bag, which she had left in her briefcase, but of course someone had parked in her parking space and thus she had to park a fifteen minute walk away. On top of that, she was pulled into not one, not two, but three back-to-back emergency surgeries. And now she was running out of the hospital. Literally running. But of course, to add to her day, the Chief of Surgery was calling her name.

She stopped and turned around. "Richard. What can I do for you?"

"I need to speak to you in my office."

Erica inwardly groaned. "I would love to Richard, but I am running extremely late."

"It will only take a minute."

Erica sighed, but followed the older man into his office anyway. Half an hour later . . .

"Erica!"

Erica groaned and hung her head. This was turning out to be a disaster. "What can I do for you Addison?"

"What are you still doing here?" Addison asked, walking around Erica so that she was standing in front of her. Erica looked up when she felt her blonde curls being tugged at and smiled when she saw her baby's happy face. Grace reached out to her mother and Erica took her from Addison. "Callie left to meet you at the restaurant an hour and a half ago."

Erica gave Gracie a kiss on the cheek and brought her little hand to her lips to give it a kiss as well. "I had everything planned so perfectly." She began, still looking at Gracie. "But then I got here, and-"

"And it sucked you in." Addison finished. Erica finally looked at Addison, total defeat in her eyes. Addison reached over and took Grace back, planting the child on her hip. "It's not too late. It's still your anniversary for the next . . ." Balancing a baby and a diaper bag was not easy as she discovered while trying to check her watch for the time. "Two and a half hours."

"Callie's probably left the restaurant by now."

Addison nodded. "Probably."

Erica dug her cell phone out of her pocket and pressed one for the first speed dial, willing the tears not to come. She hung up after the umpteenth ring. "She's not answering."

Addison put a comforting hand on Erica's back and gently urged her forward. "I am going to call Callie right now and explain what happened."

Erica shook her head. "She won't care."

Addison stopped and turned Erica around to look at her. "Of course she will care. She wants this night to be as perfect as you do. Now," She began again, again pushing Erica forward, but on a different path. "You are going to go to the bathroom and erase that defeat and exhaustion from your face. Gracie and I will go get you a coffee and be here when you're done. Then you're out of here and I'll call Callie and smooth things over. Deal?"

Addison pushed Erica into the bathroom, not even giving the blonde the chance to respond.

* * *

Erica checked her make-up one last time in the mirror before taking a deep breath and finally getting out of her car. The lights were off in the house, but she pushed forward. The front door was unlocked, a good sign. She had her keys, but it was a sign that Callie at least wanted her there. She locked it behind herself and hung her coat up in the closet. "Cal?" She called into the darkness.

There was a few seconds of silence. "Kitchen."

Erica cringed. That was not a happy voice. She grabbed the flowers she has driven out of her way to buy because they were from Callie's favorite florist. Good thing the owners lived in the apartment above the shop and Erica and Callie were good friends with them, otherwise there was no way she would have gotten any sort of flowers at this time of night. She walked into the kitchen. Callie was sitting at the island with a glass of red wine.

"Hey." She greeted softly.

"Hey." Callie responded, not looking up from her glass.

Erica brought the flowers out from behind her back and held them out. "These are for you."

Callie smiled and took the bouquet, bringing the fresh flowers to her nose. "They're beautiful. When did you get them? Addison said the hospital basically kidnapped you."

"I picked them up on the way home. It's a good thing Jamie likes us."

"You got her to open up shop at ten o'clock at night?"

Erica smiled. "I have many skills." She reached over and took the lily and yellow rose concoction from Callie and set them on the counter. "Callie, I am so sorry." Callie stood up and wrapped her arms around Erica. "Three emergency surgeries and the on-call surgeon was there, but there was a massive accident and his pair of hands just wasn't enough."

Callie pulled away and gently placed a kiss on Erica's lips. "It's okay. I understand."

Erica sighed and pulled Callie back in. "I had this whole amazing evening planned. I am so sorry."

Callie sighed into Erica's embrace. "I know. It was a little embarrassing waiting there by myself, but my ego will heal."

"I am so-"

"Sorry, I know." Callie laughed.

"I had an amazing evening planned for tonight, but . . . I can make up for it."

"Really?" Callie asked, sitting back down on the stool. "Do tell."

Erica's face lit up. "Okay, well for tomorrow I managed to get us both the day off. Addison and Mark are bringing Grace here before their shifts since we're just a few streets over and Cameron and her girlfriend Amelia – I'll explain later, are going to pick Gracie up here and take her for the day. I made us a reservation for your favorite restaurant by the place we had birthing class for seven. And before that I thought we could have a picnic brunch at the park by the river where you proposed, which means we need to get up kind of early since it's a little bit of a drive. And I looked up that bridal shop you were talking about, and they have a place not too far from there, so-"

"How'd you manage all that?" Callie interrupted quizzically.

"I made a lot of phone calls on the way here."

Callie smiled and reached out to take Erica's hands. "I love you."

Erica smiled back. "I love you too."

"You thought of everything, didn't you?"

"I tried to." The cardiologist shrugged. "I really messed up tonight, but tomorrow we are turning our cell phones off and leaving them here and if, by some act of God, they manage to follow us I swear to God I am going to smash them both with rocks before chucking them into the river."

Callie melted. Erica was such an amazing woman. Tonight hadn't been her fault, but she had gone above and beyond. She stood up and brought Erica in for a searing kiss, full of a passion neither had felt in some time.

Erica was the first to pull away. She blinked a few times to get her brain to function again. "What was that for?"

"How did I get so lucky?" She asked.

"How did I?"

Callie smirked, a serious hint of mischief in her dark eyes. "Well, I am all dressed up, so I should probably get out of these clothes."

"Right." Erica dropped her hands from Callie's waist and moved aside so the brunette could pass. "I'm just going to take a shower and then I'll-"

"Oh no you're not."

Erica's head whipped around to look at Callie. "No? I was just in three back-to-back surgeries Cal. I don't want to smell me right now."

Callie chuckled and seductively walked back over to Erica. "You're going to put those flowers into some water and then you're going to come up to the bedroom because I want to see this dress handing from your teeth." Erica swallowed, hard. "And Erica?" Callie asked, moving in dangerously close.

"Yeah?" The cardio God squeaked out.

"Don't make me wait."


End file.
